DUKE DREAMER

While having lunch this past saturday afternoon at BQM Diner near Queen and Spadina, I noticed a crowd beginning to gather outside. I finished my burger and stepped outside to see what the big deal was. Sure enough with his pirate like attire and headset microphone, Australia's own one man circus who calls himself "Duke Dreamer" was seeking audience assistance in preparation for the show to come.



After some lasso tricks, warm up juggling, and suspenseful banter with the growing crowd, he had 4 lucky volunteers secure a pole for which the purpose remained a mystery. He then explained that he was going to climb to the top of the pole which is impressive in itself. Once shimmying his way up to his precarious perch he asked the crowd if they'd ever seen a pot head midget juggling on a cloud. It was only a short moment of confusion until the ingenuity came alive right before everyones eyes and there it was, a pot head midget not only juggling but with knives on a cloud.



He then proceeded to slice an apple in mid juggle, exclaimed "special delivery!" and sent it down the line to one of his volunteers. In fact, I'm just going to let my photos and this youtube video do the rest of the talking. This is some wacky talent you don't come across everyday!

Beaconsfield Bill

Nothing is better than a little laughter anytime, anywhere whether it's another youtube video or at 2am outside the bar in this case. Meet Bill, on a daily basis he can be found around the north west corner of Queen and Beaconsfield outside of The Beaconsfield bar. Unfortunately I didn't have much time for an after party but It didn't take long to realize that his positive attitude, great sense of humour, and big smile shouldn't go unnoticed any longer. Next time you're in the area keep an eye out for Bill and maybe you'll be lucky enough to hear a joke or two. Let's all make our pockets lighter and fill that blue cup with some shiny or crisp ones!

TTC Hero

The acronym TTC not only stands for the obvious in this case but also for Toronto Trash Collection. That's is exactly what this Tunnel dwelling philanthropist is doing as he hustles and bustles from car to car on the subway cleaning up after those who apparently don't comprehend use of the TTC's newly designed garbage receptacles.



Pretty complicated, huh?

While taking the subway over the weekend I witness this lone ranger of litter hard at work despite the fact that it was around midnight on a Friday. He caught me by surprise when he sped past me on the train dragging behind him a large bag bursting at the seams with the garbage produced by Toronto's increasing population of careless slobs. The most baffling part of this story is that when passengers on the train including myself tried to offer him a dollar or two for his hard work, he declined yet expressed an overwhelmed level of thanks. The fact of the matter is, this is an outstanding act of going above and beyond keeping our city clean. Keep an eye out for this TTC hero!

Litter Beware!

While out for lunch and a couple pints with some friends over the weekend, we noticed Mark "The Litter guy" passing by outside repeatedly getting Queen Street sparkling for the nice weather to come. We invited him to come have a beer with us and he gladly obliged. Mark didn't have much time to kill but in a pints lifespan, the stories of the disrespect and harassment he endures were unbelievable. Consider this a friendly reminder that he is a more than valuable citizen who goes the the extra mile in a way most wouldn't dare. Next time you see "The litter guy" on his never ending crusade against Toronto's polluted streets, show him some respect, and help him any way you can!

Stuntman Steve

While on the way home from celebrating a friend's birthday, myself and a couple others crossed paths with one hell of a character who immediately said hello and introduced himself as Steve or his Chinese name "Sai Chi".




Without any hesitation he excitedly says "I've got something for you guys!" followed by a moment of suspense. "Grey Goose!" he exclaimed as he withdrew a bottle of vodka from his coat and offered it to us. Although we declined that didn't spoil his good time in the very least. Well dressed and spoken, Steve at 48 years old was simply out looking for the next party.




The conversation somehow progressed into his love for electronic music and his career in party promoting at various clubs around the city. Having been equipped with my skateboard sparked yet another phase of conversation with Steve or should I say "Stuntman Steve"? He continued to tell us of his adventures as a stuntman at the age of 19 in his native city of Hong Kong. Saddly his family was less than approving of his lifestyle and disowned him after a bad accident as well as the end of his stunt career. In Steve's words "the marry go round was cut short" and It was then that he migrated to Canada.



Not only is Steve a party dude but underneath all that he's a Salvation Army volunteer which we were lucky enough to witness first hand. When a homeless man stopped to ask our party for help, Steve excused himself for a minute to give not only a generous donation but also some kind support and directions to the shelter at which he volunteers. By this time it's safe to say it was long past everyone's bed time so we parted ways. Goes to show it's never too late or early for another "Local Hero" encounter.

"The Duke"

As I pondered potential updates I realized this shiny penny was right under my nose all along. Here I am with my friend Kyle at Roy Thompson Hall last summer unexpectedly accompanied by this man who referred to him only as (drum roll) "The Duke"! He appeared to be under the influence of various substances to say to say the least most likely after a long day at the office so decided to hangout and do some friendly heckling/coaching. In most cases I wouldn't think twice to tell someone like this to take a hike but this guy was too genuine and entertaining to dismiss. As soon as our work there was done, we exchanged handshakes and he was gone in a flash yet to be seen again to this day. I'm just going to let the video do the rest of the talking so let's just say I couldn't have done it without "The Duke"!

Horse $#!t!

It's been a while since my last entry do to the winter's lack of outdoor hero activity. However while out for a walk on a recent afternoon I did witness something that really bothered me so I'll take this opportunity to do a little venting. Our friend Danny was going about his business, picking up some bits and pieces of garbage at the intersection of Queen and Bathurst and happened to be enjoying an afternoon beer which I'm well aware isn't exactly legal. For this reason I watched two police on horse back corner him against the wall of Pizza Pizza while across the street on the infamous front steps a dozen others drank, smoked questionable substances, and harassed passer by's as usual. After a couple minute of yelling at Danny from on top of their 7 foot tall poop machines they let him walk free and continued to trot south on Bathurst following close making sure to get a few last words in. How ironic that they were heading in the opposite direction of where the real problem is. Keep on doing what you're doing , Danny.