In my terribly long absence, I bought, started, watched, finished, cried at (without shame) the complete series of The Wire, which is most epic. I’ll throw my hat in with Barack Obama and every nerdy, underpaid television columnist at every newspaper who say, uniformly: “The best television series ever.”

I had actually bought the first season of Mad Men at the same time as Season 1 of The Wire, but I’m of a single mind and can’t follow two heavy series at once, so I put Mad Men away on the shelf for a while. Then when -30- rolled, and The Wire was no more, I spent a few nights sitting on the couch, idly and morosely clicking through channels, despairing that no series would ever live up to David Simon’s world again. Could there be life after The Wire?

I seemed destined to wander through the television stepps (population: America’s not-quite-best singers and dancers) for all eternity, until I could no longer resist the lavish, exultative praise that the (now former) television columnist at my paper heaped daily on the lusty, chain-smoking folks at Sterling Cooper. He’s a Maddict, through and through, and his zeal to devote every column to Don et al made me think there could be.

I was expecting something like a ’60s-set Desperate Housewives meets Grey’s (Advertising) Anatomy, based on the rabid female audience demographics, but you can chalk that up mostly to Jon Hamm. Not that he’s not a perk of the show (tee hee), but it’s so much than male eye candy. Tufted furniture! Tweed! Teak galore! Christina Hendricks!

(And because all the self-indulgent, passive-aggressive and avoidant behaviour of Draper reminds me so much of my own self-indulgent, passive-aggressive, avoidant self it’s embarrassing to watch it with other people in the room since I invariably cry with frustration and self-loathing at every episode. Then I go into equally self-indulgent, Revolutionary Road-esque pangs of worry over whether I’m “happy.” LULZ, as they say.)

It’s still the best series ever, but the way Mad Men’s going, The Wire could soon lose its mantle.

Also, after several weeks of nerve-wracking uncertainty (because I am also a compulsive planner that fears uncertainty in life most of all), I’ve taken a part-time-temporary-to-perhaps-become-full-time-permanent job as copy editor with Metro. Ma and Pa would be so proud. It’s casual dress code, the work environment seems pretty laid-back, and I love copy editing — on the other hand the office is at Eglinton/DVP and the hours are extremely prohibitive to the acts of socialization. All in all, though, all employment all the time makes Canice a happy girl.

I was interviewed by a CBC radio crew as part of a panel discussion on The Future of News, which digitally airs Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. I think I did a pretty bang-up job as a student journalist pundit on the topic of citizen journalism, which is fitting since I spend a lot of time writing about the media. I would link to the more appropriate column I penned about citizen journalism, but ironically, that’s not online yet.

I also wrote a process piece on John Tory’s dance (i.e. burning at the stake) with the media over the creationism issue for the Ryerson Review of Journalism, and the issue’s ensuing public furor cost him last week’s Ontario election. I think it’s a good read, seriously. So read it. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of sticking it to psychotic conservative politicians. Nothing makes me feel safer than joining the throngs of blood-thirsty media! :)

I dont think kid with camera was there.. but the girl from figure four was.. any idea on her site?

I’ve been called the token Asian, the band whore, a lot of things through this hobby/project… but honestly… I thought girls in hardcore were memorable enough that we were all pretty identifiable. Maybe all bets are off when it comes to slant-eyes… AZNS ALL LOOK SAME.

Secondly, I’ve been upping my bike mileage a lot over the past month. Photographing for Spacing had me climbing the St. Clair hills three or four times in one week, going from the Beaches all the way to High Park on the reg. Secondly, I’m doing an 8-day, 800km unsupported bike tour from Toronto to Manitoulin Island, during which time we (Rene, Justin and I) will be riding a century a day (dies). The Freedom Haters Bicycle Club rode the 50km Becel Ride for Heart yesterday morning, and it was a piece of cake. I’m still kind of worried about riding that hard for so many days in succession, but not as worried as before.

Been taking lots of photos the last few months, as well as a few rolls of Lomo Fisheye shots I have yet to develop. Should be fun.