A Farewell to Parkdale

I'm moving this weekend. After nearly ten years in the wilds of Parkdale, I'll be moving into Bryan's house, up in antiseptic North York. Don't panic, it's near the subway. I'm okay with it.

The packing process leads to all sorts of nostalgia and forgotten items and events and ephemera. I'm amazed to see how many boxes of small press material I've collected to over the years - so many chapbooks and zines and broadsides and magazines and pieces tough to categorize. Lots of mclennan's POEMs kept popping up, seemingly endless, everywhere, in all colours.

After sending out my change of address email the other day, I received some really interesting responses. Who knew such a short street would have so many connections to people I know?! Some grew up on that block, Stu's old high school was on the same street, and when b. ran away from her small town at age 17... you guess it, she was on that street too. I wonder if it was the same house. She's currently researching the house number. That would be amazing, to live fifteen years later, in the same house she escaped to. Gemini serendipity! Amazing.
With Crafternoon Tea 2 on Saturday, the dig./Anvil launch on Monday, and the Press Fair the following Saturday, amidst boxes, I don't have much time to reminisce. But Terri and Kimberly, and b., if you're reading this, say a goodbye to our old homestead. We're better friends for being here.

Things I will miss after moving:

• my fireplace
• being able to bike to most destinations
• Oskar, my allergy-inducing hairy Himalayan-Siamese freak cat, gone to live with my mom in Dunnville

Things about moving I look forward to:

• living a house, not an apartment, and being able to play loud music without fear of irate neighbours
• planting a garden
• not having to lug my hockey gear on the TTC
• no bullying asshole Parkdale landlords

Lots more I could say, like obvious differences in neighbourhood culture, and about a new relationship phase, but I'm tired and still have a lot of soap-making and packing ahead of me tonight. The copies of dig.#11 are all ready for the launch and the press fair, so that's done, and they look really good.

Cheers.

CHANGES by Sugar.