There's a Reason Why I Love This Town

The first time I left Kingston for Toronto, it was absolutely cataclysmic. Not only did I have to leave the city I loved, I had to leave the boy I loved, the job I loved, the friends I loved, the house I loved, etc. I got home and cried into my pillow with all of the fervor of a fifteen-year-old.

I was devastated.

Yesterday morning, I moved back to Toronto from Montreal (via a two-week stint in Kingston) for good. And honest to goodness, I'm thrilled.

In May of 2003, this move felt like the end of the world. Now, in May of 2005, it feels like the beginning of my new life as a growed-up. Instead of crying into my pillow, I danced in my room, Risky Business-style.

I've got a lot of really great friends in Toronto. My whole family is here. The music community is tightly-knit, despite the city's size. Also, Toronto is the media capital of Canada, so my chances of landing a journalism job here are higher than anywhere else. And since I've spent so much of my adult life living in other cities, I haven't had a chance to explore all that Toronto has to offer, so I'm pretty excited about that, too.

Last night's Matt Barber/Pete Elkas/Joel Plaskett show at Hugh's Room (in the company of Miss Lynch and Miss Chan, no less) only compounded my back-at-home excitement. I felt the same warmth/happiness that I felt at the same show at the Grad Club a week or so ago. (And I didn't even have that much to drink.) The fact that Joel acknowledged our Grad Club shout-out made my night. And it made me realize that I was enjoying this particular show just as much as the ones I've seen in Kingston.

Anyway, I welcome my new life in Toronto with open arms. (Even if it does mean leeching off of my parents for a while.)

In other news, the Midways/Tijuana Bibles show (which served its historical purpose as my final show in Kingston) did not disappoint, despite the crappy venue (The Cocamo!), less-than-enjoyable opening acts and sparse-yet-obnoxious crowd.

But really, if the band you're seeing looks like this, how COULD it disappoint?



(Now playing: "No Time Like the Right Time", The Blues Project)