Roll On, Spring...

To celebrate the arrival of spring last Thursday, I donned my winter parka, had a drink at Allen’s, then promptly got my car stuck in a snowbank which necessitated a call to my parents to come and help push me out (helpful strangers are apparently somewhat of a rarity around the Danforth). Whilst waiting for them, my feet actually began to freeze.

Now I know Easter is early this year (so early that those wily Irish priests changed St. Patrick’s Day to the Saturday before under the pretense that there shouldn’t be carousing on the Monday before Good Friday – drunken revelry was conveniently relocated to a day of the week followed by one that provided a lie-in), but I avoided the annual Beaches Easter Parade yesterday because the forecast was for a temperature below zero.

I know we live in Canada, and we should be used to snow and cold; but it’s bloody southern Canada, almost the southernmost point of Canada – so where the hell is spring?

I didn’t believe old Wiarton Willy on that cloudy day, 7 weeks ago.

However, around the world, others are celebrating the coming of spring; a time of rebirth, new beginnings and awakening from the sleep of winter. Here are a few highlights:

Hanami



In Japan, many cherry blossom viewing parties and festivals are held around this time of year. The Japanese watch the Cherry Blossom Forecast on television stations to know when the blooms are expected to come out in different parts of the country.

Holi



Known as the festival of colour, Holi marks the victory of good over evil. Hindus around the world light bonfires on the first night and throw coloured powder and water at each other the following day.

Vernal Equinox



Thousands of people celebrate the spring equinox by climbing to the top of the Sun Pyramid in Teotihuacan, Mexico, built by the Aztecs. It is thought that the first day of spring brings a special energy to the place.

Easter



Easter is based on the story of Jesus being resurrected from the dead. Non-religious symbols of the holiday, eggs and bunnies, denote symbols of rebirth and fecundity, both markers of spring.










Nowruz

Translated from Farsi, Nowruz means “new day” and is an ancient Persian festival celebrating the new solar year and the beginning of Iran’s calendar year. This year, Iran’s government has given its citizens a special Nowruz gift: strict gas rations have been loosened over the holiday period.

My own personal celebration comes with that first day that you can smell mud in the air - when the last bits of snow are trickling away in rivulets, revealing the dormant earth that lay hidden for so long. When the air is heavier and scented with growth. However you choose to celebrate... happy spring!

Guess the Sport

This young man is taking a break from what annual sport in Spain?

At Capacity

It would seem that the ocean has had its fill of our frivolous trash cast thoughtlessly into its seemingly inexhaustible repository. Last week, the currents in the sea around Mumbai, India changed and spat back over 300 tonnes of garbage per day.

Can You Hear Me Now?

"Hello? No, I'm on the boat. The boat. I'm crossing the river. The river. You're breaking up..."

A man chats on his cellphone while crossing the river in Dhaka, Bangladesh. (photo from bbc.co.uk)

Guess the Sports Equipment

I would have been impressed if anyone could actually guess this sport being played in Kyrgyzstan. It is the national game of Kok-Boru, and seems to be a take on polo (or, to avoid Euro-centrism, perhaps polo is a take on Kok-Boru). Can anyone guess what the players have to pick up and throw at a target?

Just Because...

...it's Sunday night and I'm trying everything possible to put off the impending doom that is Monday morning. Goddamn Newfies with their St. Patrick's day holiday...

Caption Contest! Caption Contest!

What, praytell, is the heir to the throne saying on his trip to Qatar with his new missus?

Screw The SUV...

...we're loading up our bikes!

Revenge is a Dish Best Served (Icy) Cold

During a Korean Mountain Trout Festival, Sook Yin exacts vengeance on her kindergarten playmate who stole her crayons last Tuesday:



“Yeah, if you just look a little closer you’ll see the magic singing ice fish…

Closer, closer…”

Abandoned Bicycle, J. Peterman Style

The relentless Sumatran sun blazed mercilessly in the cloudless sky, the shade of the fig trees the only reprieve for stray dogs, too hot to even raise their heads at my presence. I abandoned my bicycle under a tree and wiped the sweat from the back of my neck. The sun was searing, but I had my Javan Trilby to protect me – medium width brim, gently contoured at the top for easy tipping. Made of unbleached, fair trade coconut fibre, sourced from the Balinese palm farmers. Perfect for unwinding with cocktails on the terrace or exciting adventures through the rainforest on the back of an elephant. Sizes 6-8.

Yeah, I got Seinfeld Season 7 for Christmas…

Meaningless Update

I'm getting kind of sick of seeing that tangled up deer every time I go to this page.

You, too?

So I've updated my blog so you can see Romanian children instead.

(photo from news.bbc.co.uk)

Tangled Up in... Purple

There was an article this Friday in the Globe and Mail about deer encroaching on our habitat to look for food and potential mates. It also looked at the different ways humans are looking at to control the exploding deer population (including contraception, which involves catching, injecting and tagging unsuspecting does). I'm too tired and disheartened to explore the obvious option of containing our never-ending expansion and living in harmony with nature.

Any guesses as to this poor buck's antler entanglement?

Guess the Occupation

For those of you who made guesses for the Surreal Sea Nymphs, they were actually a bunch of Australian school girls celebrating the end of exams. Now put your brains to this test: what is the man in the picture's occupation?

Surreal Sea Nymphs

Any guesses about what's going on here?

And so my obsession with photographs of abandoned bicycles continues...

This one was taken on one of the Toronto Islands.

Other pictures of abandoned bicycles I have found: Amsterdam Bicycle * Une Autre Bicyclette * Bicyclette Quebecois

Confessions on a Market Stall

I can't believe there's a second photo of this sort out there (see first). Who buys these? (Is that Putin in the background?)

Guess the Sport III

What sport are these men playing?

Hint: It is a slightly decelerated version of the original, with, perhaps, not so many royals milling about.

Zimbabwe Business

Death is one of the few growth industries in Zimbabwe due to the number of people dying of AIDS.

Vancouver's Bilingual Signs

Une Autre Bicyclette

...this one is one of the winners of the BBC photo competition for the subject "Uniform".

(maybe I should start an abandoned bicycles blog)