This week in the Blogerati Files, My Sensitive Girl Hole

Describe your blog in 10 words or less.
The Hole where I put my funny and my rage.

Why did you start your blog? Blogiversary?
April 2005 - I needed something that made regular writing fun again. I'd fallen out of practise a couple of years ago - I really like the creative visual aspects of blogging.

How long have you lived in Toronto?
On and off again since 1998. I'm a hick from Northern Ontario - all the people, buildings and shmooshiness of Toronto required that I quit my job, dump my boyfriend and run to Halifax to recover for a year. I moved back the next year and settled right in.

What's the funniest/strangest thing that has happened to you in Toronto?
I find the streetcars the best places for interaction. People say that Toronto is the most impersonal city in the country but I disagree. I once got into a sex education talk with a bunch of boys from the Regent Park/Dundas and Broadview area about how sperm is produced. It all started with the kid loudly proclaiming that "his dick was producing more sperm" and ended with a solid understanding of the role of his testicles in sperm production.

If you happen to be knitting on the TTC folks will approach you with the most intimate personal stories of their lives. Usually their mothers and grandmothers knit - it's amazing to me what folks will tell you.

Oh, I blog about it all - I think these random connections are miraculous in the city.

What are some of the changes in Toronto that you have seen in your lifetime?
The comedy scene has really boomed I used to volunteer at and perform at The Bad Dog Theatre when it was really struggling and now it's busy every night. The music community is enjoying a real renaissance as well - there is so much live entertainment to enjoy for less than $20.00 - it's a real luxury. Also, there seems to be more and more grass roots community action right now - pillow fights, bubble wars, Act Random etc. It's a really fun place to be right now.

What era, day or event in Toronto's history would you like to re-live and why?
The 60's when Yorkville was the hippie hangout....there were some pretty spectacular artists going through at the time.

Who's your favourite Torontonian?
Today it's Jane Jacobs a few months ago it was Cabbagetown fan Amy Milan. My friend Denny is my most consistent fave. I'm from tiny towns across Canada and Denny demonstrates the "community" of Toronto which is hard for a small town girl to see amid the buildings, the crush of the people and the noise.

Can we believe everything you post on your blog?
Pretty much though I'm a chronic exaggerator. If I've exaggerated a story on the blog I'd do it verbally as well..

Has blogging changed you or enhanced a personality trait?
It has made me more aware of what's going on around me and how it might inspire an entry particularly the most banal of moments that occur in the day can inspire an entire post.

Do you have a favourite post from your blog?
This one and this one.

Have you had your 15 minutes yet?
Probably - I'm pretty clueless so I'm never too sure what I've missed.

Ever met a stranger who already knew you through your blog? How was that?
Yes. It's always a little bizarre because folks will approach you as though you should know them because they are aquainted with you. Blogs give folks the idea that you right about every personal aspect of your life when the reality is that the blog is but one facet of the larger picture of any writer.

Lose any friends or muck something up because of a post?
Not yet but I've had friends call me to confirm that I wasn't writing about them.

Fav bloggers?
My favourites change like the tides but right now I'm loving:

JGallagher - such dark funny writing
Twisty Faster
http://blog.thesilentk.com/

What's happening in Toronto right now that the rest of us should be watching?
Improv comedy at the Bad Dog Theatre - Friday, Saturday nights are the best bet...Hell, you should go see something live at least once a week. Music, Comedy, Theatre. That shit makes you think...

You have the opportunity to gather with 5 of your regular readers - who are they, where do you meet and what do you talk about?
The Knitters, Some Mommybloggers, A couple of Aunts - Since the cold weather she be coming, I'd love to go to the Allan Gardens for a cheese and wine laden pinic. We would discuss where to get good fleece, and grown up stuff..

Have you ever had a question you wanted to ask random people throughout the world?
What's your favourite food? Would you go have dinner with me?

If your blog were a food, what food would it be?
Right now it would be a wheel of baked brie with Strawberry Rhubarb sauce.

If you could gather all of the bloggers of the world together into one room and tell them one thing, what would it be?
What aren't you writing about?