New York!

So, yes. It's been quite a while. I could go on with excuses as to why I haven't posted in forever, how it won't be this long til the next time, and how I'll try my best to update more frequently. But I won't ;) I've been having quite the adventure lately and I wanted to share some of the things I've learned along the way:

I'd often heard the rumor that New Yorker's were quite...ill-tempered, so this was what I imagined happening in the off chance (read: when) I got lost.

Nothing, however, could be further from the truth (I sincerely hope I'm not giving away a secret here...) New Yorkers are extremely, extremely nice and helpful. My theory is that it's due to so many non-natives, so everyone understands what it's like being new. Although, be wary of getting in their (our?) way during rush hour traffic on the subway.

The one thing I knew I'd miss about Toronto were the people. My friends, family and everyone I'd gotten accustomed to seeing week after week over the last year at our favourite karaoke spot and around town. But, I've met some amazing people and made some fantastic friends!

But, some things are in fact, irreplaceable.

One thing you always hear about New York is the dangerous amount of crime in the city. You do have to be aware of your surroundings, but there's no reason to be remotely as paranoid as I thought originally! It's actually one of the safest cities per capita in the US.

I'd heard about all these cockroach and bedbug infestations, and was not looking forward to dealing with these creatures. Luckily, I've only seen 2 with my friend Vadim...at a restaurant...that was REALLY good and had been open 27 years (the owner made a point of telling us this multiple times.).

Something I was looking forward to, as much as I love driving, was giving up my car. Being a driver, you hate pedestrians. Being a pedestrian, you hate drivers. In Toronto, I was both. But in NY I was looking forward to picking a side, so to speak. There was one minor thing I didn't forsee. Carrying big box items home on the subway.

Bumping into people in Toronto wasn't that uncanny as we all usually hung out in the same few areas. However, in New York, in a city of 8 million people - it is absolutely astounding that you can still bump into people you know anywhere, like in the middle of a crowded SoHo street.

I really thought I would miss Toronto a ton. There's a charm there that I thought no city could really capture. Til I got to New York. It has it's own wonderful charm. There's so much to see, do and explore, it's absolutely overwhelming and ridiculous. But, so far I've found some of my new favourite landmarks, restaurants, shops and parks.

There is nothing like just waking up, grabbing a bite and walking for literally hours trying to find the hidden corners and stores that are indicative of this city. Especially while being in a state of "everything is awesome and new all the time!"

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I've drank the New York Kool Aid and well...

Coffee!

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I love coffee. So I thought I'd do a little post on why I love it and how I became so...for lack of a better term, obsessed.

It started one summer during school when I had an office desk job as a summer student. The job was very much a 'run out the clock' situation.


5pm couldn't arrive fast enough. It was a constant fight.

I've always loved the smell of coffee, but yes, even to those who know me well, there actually was a time where I couldn't stand the taste of coffee.

Even still though, if I could somehow set up a timer to wake me up to the smell of coffee every morning, I would, although that would definitely up my chances of burning things down due to faulty wiring...or stupidity.
The cafe at the front of the building had a self-serve type deal - it smelled absolutely wonderful with flavours like 'vanilla bean hazelnut', 'orange mocha' or 'clever chocolate'. They all tasted the same, the most vile tasting sludge ever.
One day, my cousin was visiting Toronto from Florida due to work, and he asked me to try his then favourite drink, a caramel macchiato.

The experience was enlightening.

I remember the first time I ever had a triple shot of espresso, I came home wanted to get something from my room. The next thing I knew I was at the top of the stairs without remembering climbing them at all.

Gradually, I became less and less accustomed to sweet drinks, where at one time I loved them, I can barely stand a Caramel Macchiato now.
Slowly I started to warm up to coffee and grow accustomed to the different tastes and essentially 'found my drink'. Currently either an Espresso Macchiato or an Iced Americano.

It wasn't until I moved to LA and went to what became my most favourite coffee shop ever, that I discovered what good coffee was.

For the first time, I tasted straight espresso that was creamy, rich and sweet - with hints of vanilla, hazelnut and chocolate. With no additives! It was love at first sip.


Now, mornings usually don't start til I have coffee. Without some, I'm a useless pile of blob. The staff at my local Starbucks can attest to that.

Coffee also brings people together. A few friends and myself have been able to go to one of our new favourite coffee shops in Toronto, Lit Espresso Bar, and be very productive, social and relaxed all at the same time. Coffee is the new beer.


After visiting so many coffee shops (so, so many) certain things start to jump out at you. Especially when they're reoccurring. As a result, I've been able to discern a certain number of barista 'types'. These are a few of them.

My friends Jon and Jeremy created a drink at Starbucks they lovingly refer to as "The Killer". I decided to be daring and try 3 shots instead of the recommended 2. The results were less than favourable.


I'm hoping that one day it rains coffee from the sky. If that happens, the world will be a more pleasant smelling and delicious place. It may also become faster paced and crazier, but we'll ignore that for now.

I sincerely think there's a whole untapped market for coffee flavoured/coffee influenced products. Someone should get on that and make it happen.
I'd buy it.

I think I have a problem.

R.

Canadia!

Whenever I'm in the States, people always ask me what Canada is like. Today being Canada Day, and Canada's 142nd birthday, I figure I should finally give an accurate description, as well as clarify some myths about us neighboUrs to your North.

FACT: Canada is directly above (to the north of) the United States of America. We have 10 PROVINCES instead of STATES, as well as 3 TERRITORIES.

FACT: Our national colours are Red and White, and our flag features the Maple Leaf.
FACT: We have a Prime Minister instead of a President.

FACT: Our National Police are called the RCMP.

FACT: Each Province has their own Police force as well. Ontario's are called the Ontario Provincial Police.

FACT: Canada's national food is Tim Horton's, a "coffee" chain named after a famous hockey player.

FACT: Smarties in Canada are different! Instead of bizarre rolled up multicoloured chalky candy which we refer to as "rockets", Smarties are a delicious multicoloured chocolate. You are supposed to eat the red ones last.

FACT: It is always cold.

FACT: Fortunately, because we have winter all the time, we've gotten used to it and have acclimated to it.

FACT: We eat delicious Canadian chocolates called "Bueno Bars"

FACT: We go on maple syrup hunting expeditions riding moose into the wilderness.

FACT: In Canadia, Beavers are a man's best friend.



Note: Some of these facts may or may not be entirely ... true.

Happy Canada Day Everyone!

R.

Clownin' Around.

Designs/character exploration for a comic/short project I'm attempting to develop.

Random Doodles

Here are a bunch of gestures I did this week while traveling the subway, and sitting in coffee shops. Been trying to work on some stuff I've been learning from the Stanchfield books. Still a long way to go, but hopefully these are going in the right direction.

It was this couple's 6 month anniversary - Marcia and Charles.

This was my good friend Matt's band "Silverlane". You should really check them out by clicking here.

Some gesture studies of the band

Some cool stuff I've found on the interwebs this week: Multicolr Search Lab lets you search Flickr by color. The new Gobelins films are out, too. Check out my friend Ugo's "Jelly Sunday"
Also, I recently started re-watching HBO's underrated series "Carnivale" - if you have some spare time and are wondering what to watch, definitely check it out. It got cancelled after two seasons, but worth it. Lastly, Jenny over at Blackwing Diaries has made a great post about Up, and animated films in general. Definitely worth a read.

New post coming soon!
R.