~*...return of the dredi...*~

god i love summer, especially summer in toronto. i know i sound like a broken record, but this city goes off in the summer. and the quality of beautiful people in this city is mind blowing! my neck hurts from all of the head turners that demand my attention with their hawtness.

my brother neil was passing through toronto on wednesday, july 20. he lives in santa maria, california, and was in town touring with his friends from the swedish metal band in flames. i ran into him and his friend anders, the lead singer, for lunch at my fav sushi restaurant on queen street, ho su bistro. the food there is quality, the prices are affordable, and the staff are very friendly and know me by name. it was great to chill out with neil as i don't see him very often. i also got to show anders a bit of toronto. he gave me a window into what its like to be in a rock band and spend most of your life touring. its hard for them to explore a city because they don't spend much time in each place. its a constant flow from one city to the next: play a gig, get on the bus, drive to the next city, play another gig. unless they know someone in the city to take them around, there isn't much time for them to cruise around and explore. many times, they don't even know where they are. they just know they are in a city or the surrounding area, with no clue as to what places would be cool to explore. so we cruised across queen street (the most diverse street in the world, imho), past nathan phillips square and our city hall (as seen in the movie resident evil apocalypse), and through the eaton center.

that night, i met up with neil and the band at the docks entertainment complex. this place is huge! from a huge concert theater to a go cart track and drive in movie theater, this place has been a staple for entertainment in toronto for years. after gettin my pass, i hooked up with the band on the tour bus for some pre concert pints. the tour bus was really nice inside, but according to my brother and the band not very comfortable. it looked comfy, but i guess while in motion its not a very smooth ride. there was a lounge area in the back with a television and dvd player, then the bunk area, a washroom (no shitting allowed) and a kitchen seating area in the front of the bus with another tv and dvd player. this is where the band spends most of their time while on the road. its home to them.

in flames was opening for a band called mudvayne. a lot of fans were surprised that it wasn't mudvayne opening for in flames. they were even more surprised to hear in flames play for a whopping 25 minutes. in flames were pissed at having such a short set. i would be too. 25 minutes is not enough time. but the energy of the show was off the hook. i love how the most powerful communities are the ones that share music, and metal stimulates such a unique energy in the crowd \m/^_^\m/ lots of head banging, hand waving, and moshing goin on. its been said that one of the best examples of culture is to observe how people spend their leisure time, more specifically the kind of music they listen to. it gets people out dancing, and nothing brings people closer together than sweat.

it was a fascinating experience to hang out with band that was on tour. you could feel the energy of the crowd, of the fans, as we hung out on the patio eating and drinking after in flames had finished their set. i had a guest pass on and i could feel the envy of some of the hardcore fans as they looked me up and down. i had people come up to me and ask in awe "guest pass? how'd you score that man?". hell, i had never heard of in flames before so elevating the guys i was hanging out with to celebrity status wasn't really an issue for me. they are just some dudes who play music. and i'm just some dude who's along for the ride. i guess its how i view fame. being interested in the lives and decisions of people you don't know makes them famous. the real question is how do you treat people differently when you believe they are famous? for me, i don't care who you are. if you bring out the parts of my personality that i like, awesome. if you don't, i'm outta here. cause in the end, you're just some guy and i'm just some guy, fame or no fame.

that being said, i got to see how fans treat the bands they love. so many people came up to us while we ate asking for autographs, pictures with the band, and anything else that would keep them in the presence of their favourite band. there were fans with full on in flames tattoos, hawt girlz always hanging around, and a constant supply of complimentary alcohol. i must say, rollin with rock stars was a fun and exciting experience.

we ended up on the tour bus where there was more free booze. by 2am i was annihilated and had to find my bed. it was awesome to hang out with my brother and experience the world he chooses to live in, to celebrate in, to dance in. rollin with a rock band for a night was an experience i will never forget. anders, björn, daniel, jesper, peter, it was great to hang with you guys. thanks for giving me a window into what its like to do what you love as a career. music, of all forms, is truly the universal language that brings all people together. t hanks for the hook up neil. i was surprised that in flames lets a joker like you hang around them, but after hangin with you and the band i realized you are all a bunch of goofs.

björn taught me how to say fredrik neitzsche's quote "without music life would be a mistake" in swedish. ultang myusik err lilvet est mistag. my repetoire of languages i can say that quote in is now 14.

that saturday, july 23, i attended the wedding of my very close friends bobby and dana. the ceremony was held in beamsville, ontario, in the heart of wine country near niagara-on-the-lake. i met bobby in 2000 in british columbia when our crew of omies met up and drove into the interior of b.c. for shambalah. you didn't think i'd have a blog entry without including om in it did ya? i also met dana through the om community just a little over four years ago. its been such an amazing experience knowing these two people and being a part of the family that they have chosen for themselves. i was honored to be a part of their wedding celebrations. its even more fun when you know both the bride and groom, especially when their friends are also your friends. its one big celebration of love with close friends.

i hitched a ride to beamsville with my friends isa, darryl, and their 5 month old daughter valentina. most of our friends, including the bride and groom, had booked out rooms at the comfort inn in beamsville. darryl and i dropped off isa and valentina at the hotel and went for a quick pit stop in nearby vineland to pick up some beer. its always fascinating for me to be outside of toronto. i feel more like a minority when i'm not in the big smoke. i am reminded that most of these small towns are populated by caucasians. there aren't too many chinese jamaicans kickin around those parts, especially ones with pigtailed dreadlocks wearing a red dress shirt and tie ;) personally, i love challenging people to think differently and watching them live out the answer. its fun watching the wave of my presence flow through the people around me. i am just as fascinated by them as they are by me.

wow, valentina is such a cutie!

the wedding ceremony was held outdoors at bled hall in beamsville. so many aspects of this wedding deviated from your traditional wedding ceremony. then again, bobby and dana aren't what society might call normal, and neither are our friends.

the bridesmaids, martha, kim (with son skye), erica, and lindsay, wore black dresses and walked down the aisle arm in arm as couples. the maid of honour was dana's best friend matthew. he looked so cute in his tuxedo as he carried the bouquet. the flower girl was bobby's niece.

dana wore a bright blue wedding dress with rainbow coloured shoes. she looked so radiant as her father walked her down the aisle. and i had never seen bobby so happy before in my life.

i am such a suck at weddings, and was crying like a baby when i saw dana walk down the aisle. the tears did not stop as the ceremony continued. as i looked around me, i was comforted to know that i was not the only one crying. and of course there was absolutely no reference to god or religion in the ceremony.

celebrating love with people i love is an overwhelming feeling of nirvana for me. the number of friends at bobby and dana's wedding outnumbered the number of actual blood relatives. bobby and dana don't have time in their lives for shitty people, and they definitely did not invite shitty people to their wedding. they celebrated their wedding day with the tip of the spear when it comes to incredible people (and yes, almost all of us were omies).

my friend chris brought his partner carol with him. she was wearing a beautiful east indian dress that looked so comfortable and beautiful on her. as i introduced myself, she asked if i remember her from almost ten years ago. it wasn't until she told me where we met for the first time that it all clicked. i had met carol in 1996 at the destiny 15 three day rave. her and i shared a powerful connection back then, and it was great to reconnect with her again at bobby and dana's wedding.

the reception was held in bled hall banquet hall. there was a framed picture of bobby and dana on each table as the center piece. the was also a disposable camera with each centerpiece so each table could capture their wedding experience on film for bobby and dana to develop and look through after.

dancing after was held outside, and wasn't your usual uber chezz wedding beatz. there are quite a few talented djs within our group of friends. beatz were provided by christian sunflower and rollin cash and included lots of dub, reggae, and house. our friend smoky davy boon provided the visuals by spinning fire poi. davy is very skilled at spinning fire, which was a good thing seeing as he was wearing a very flammable dress shirt. man, fire is so sexxxy. i just bought my first set of poi and am learning new techniques from davy and other friends skilled in maori art.

bobby failed to mention that he had some caribbean culture in his family, maybe for a reason ;) don't worry, i gave him a good punch in the arm later for keeping this secret from me. his aunt married a guyanese man and had three beautiful daughters name shatez, shantaine, taveena. its always good to see that it is possible for different races to love one another...it creates beautiful souls like bobby's cousins, and me.

the celebrations continued back at the hotel. the moon was almost full and was as bright as a street light. the hotel was right beside an old abandoned waterpark once known as wet and wild prudhomme's landing. a number of us decided to go exploring in the ghost town that was prudhomme's landing. with the moon lighting our way, there was no need for flashlights. we walked across the old go cart track to find an old rusted tilt-a-whirl ride to play in. yes, they even left the rides there to rot and rust. but the best part was the waterslides. yup, they left the waterslides intact. we ran up the tube ride to the top of the waterslides and enjoyed one of the most beautiful views of lake ontario. this water park was built right on the shores of the lake. after the demise of this amusement park (i think splashworks at wonderland sealed prudhomme's landing's doom), someone must have bought the land and is waiting to build houses on it in a few years. until that happens, the slides and the rides were left there to decay.

running down the waterslides with plant overgrowth surrounding the slides was so much fun, especially the covered mine shaft section of the slide. it was pitch black inside there as we ran through it blind, and drunk ;) what an incredible day of celebrating love with bobby and dana, of exploring the remains of an amusement park, and sharing my life with the most incredible people. as i jumped into my friend karen's car to head back to toronto (a drive that we made in a record 40 minutes), i was reminded that i am blessed with the best people to share my life with.

more to come...

- norm (:D)---

~*...the aftermath of birthday month...and the west coast of canada...*~

this one is going to be a long entry, maybe cause i haven't added anything to my blog in three weeks. i've been up to so many things, so i might as well start at the beginning. there is going to be a lot of reading if you're here, but i've decided to add pix directly into my blog instead of linking to them. hopefully that'll make your read a little more enjoyable.

my birthday month was the most memorable of my life. it was no surprise that my july would also be just as memorable. on the last day of my birthday month i czech'd out dj dan at boa. there was some concern as to whether or not boa would be open that night as their sound system was repossessed the weekend before. it definitely was a hot topic of conversation within the toronto electronic music community. lucky for us the system was in full force that thursday night, and dan rawked it. if you haven't heard the sound system at boa, i'd highly suggest you make it a priority. the boa sound system is how is music was meant to be heard. its like you are wrapped up in perfect sound. and hey, $10 for dj dan on the boa sound system you really can't go wrong.

july 1st was canada day, time for another edition of the tribe magazine canada day bbq. it still amazes me how a community of electronic music lovers have created such a strong bond thanks to an online messageboard forum. the strongest communities are always the ones that share music. i remember meeting so many tribe nicknames at the first bbq in 1999 at cherry beach. what an incredible time we live in where we know each other by our online nicknames first before we know each other by our birth given names.

the bbq was held at hanlan's point on the toronto islands. i love the islands, its one of those getaways within the city that so few people take advantage of. just a 10 minute ferry away from the downtown core and all of a sudden there are no cars, lots of trees, and space to think and breathe (away from the smog that covers the city). i arrived with two beautiful women, isa and stacy, and their baby girls, valentina (5 months) and caelyn (11 months).

the remainder of the afternoon was spent drinkin, enjoying lifted spirits, playing frisbee, and dancing to some propah beatz. there was a full sound system set up at our picnic area, and we were treated to some of toronto's best local dj talent. another great thing about hanlan's point is the clothing optional beach. its a haven for toronto's gay community, and they were out in full force that canada day. i was fortunate to run into a few hotties whom i convinced to join the tribe krew for some drinks and beatz. did i mention how hawt these boyz were? the one with the eight pack was also chinese jamaican, and shared my mom's maiden name, wong.

after a long day in the sun enjoying the birthday of our country, i took the ferry back to the mainland and caught the last bit of the feist concert at the cibc stage of harbourfront. i love this city. with only so many weekends to enjoy warm weather, torontonians take every opportunity to get outside and dance for free. every weekend in the summer there is always somewhere to go to hear free music outside.

on saturday, july 2, i began my evening at the northbound leather fetish party at 5ive followed by an evening of dancing at funhaus for dark rave. i love dressing up, and fet parties are a great place to explore fashion and whatever else you're into safely and comfortably.

on sunday, i made my way down to cherry beach for the promise cherry beach sound system cherry beach sundaze are the best weekly event this city has to offer in my opinion. free music by the beach on a sunday afternoon with chill peeps. just show up, drink, smoke, dance, throw a frisbee, spin poi, spin fire, leave no trace. over 250 people showed up to enjoy an amazing sunday afternoon. thanks dave and irving for organizing the best sunday afternoon jamz.

my week was spent getting ready for my trip out west. my good friend will from university was getting married to his japanese girlfriend of five years. they are currently living in downtown vancouver just minutes away from stanley park. after an incredible evening with a beautiful soul (hi erin!), i boarded my plane friday morning for vancouver. with jetsgo gone, the prices of plane tickets for all of the other airlines just skyrocketed. i remember pricing out tickets for this trip before jetsgo went belly up, and the price for a return flight out west with taxes was around $400. i ended up flying with canjet for about $540.

will picked my up at the airport in his pimped out pt cruiser dream machine. the metallic copper colouring was badass, and the ride was smooth. aaah, turbo. there's something about the west coast that immediately comforts you. its a combination of the ocean and the mountains. you don't have to see them, you can feel them. the mountains remind you how short of a time we've been around. they are huge and majestic, and of course incredible to ride in the winter time. the fresh ocean air invigorates. this country is so beautiful, and its easy to tune into how beautiful it is when you are in british columbia.

will and i spent the afternoon chilling in stanley park, enjoying some off sale brews and tossing a disc around. this was my only opportunity to take advantage of just norm and will time, and it was great to chill with my friend. will had been teaching english in japan for the past five years and has been living in vancouver for the past year. the last time i saw will was at our friend steve (who was also will's best man) and kate's wedding back in 2002. will had brought his gf, now wife, yukiko to steve and kate's wedding. he also caught the garter, and none of our friends have got married since then...until now.

after dropping my gear off at my friend brett's place in kitsilano where i was staying, i ended up in east vancouver to visit some omies who now call the west coast home. there was a good krew of peeps chillin out at my friend dawn's place on commercial drive. we just cooled out, chatted, enjoyed lifted spirits and each other's company.

om has brought so many incredible people into my life, and it was great to spend the evening with friends from om who have now made british columbia their home. but i was pretty jet lagged, so my evening had to end. brett and his gf were away for the weekend, so i had their place to myself. thanks brett and laura for your hospitality.

on saturday, steve, will, will's friend lito, and i met up at will's place and prepared for will's stag which included an afternoon of atv'ing on blackcomb mountain. after filling up on uber expensive gas we began our two hour drive to the town of whistler.

the drive up to whistler is one of the most beautiful drives you could ever experience. driving up through horseshoe bay surrounded by the ocean on one side and mountains on the other makes for a breathtaking journey. it also makes for a very dangerous drive. mountains on one side and ocean on the other can be very treacherous, especially at night. its been said that it is the most dangerous stretch of road in all of canada. winding through the mountains with a cliff leading to the ocean on the other side, i realized just how dangerous an accident on that road could be.

whistler is an extreme sports enthusiast's wet dream. two world class mountains, whistler and blackcomb, side by side, a gorgeous village nestled at the bottom, a badass skatepark, and more outdoor activities than anywhere i've been. there are just so many extreme ways to bust your head open in whistler, and everyone is there for the mountain. that creates a very unique energy, and makes the girls there even hotter cause you know that they are there for the mountain. man, there's something about girlz who ride that makes them extra hawt.

extreme mountain biking is huge at whistler, and there were hundreds of enthusiasts tearing up the mountain that saturday. i even saw a guy in a tricked out wheelchair mountain bike. i had never seen a wheelchair mountain bike before: four wheels, handle bars, caliper brakes, and body armour. you don't have to be able to walk to be extreme!

we suited up for our two hour atv experience on blackcomb mountain. in full rain gear, we were prepared to get wet. and with the rainy weather they'd been having the week before, we had lots of puddles to splash through. man, driving an atv is so much fun. sitting on an engine ripping through the mountains is awesome. i had done the same atv tour last time i was in whistler in 2000 with my friend terri. the trails we took were the same, but the atvs we were riding were new and so were the people i was sharing the experience with.

rippin up the mountain on an atv is too much fun. it also gave us some of the most beautiful and breathtaking views of whistler. we brought up the rear of our touring krew, which allowed us hold back a bit and then open up our atvs to see how fast we could go. the atvs were modified so that they could only go up to 65km/hr. i got mine up to 63km/hr. daam those things are fun. splashing through huge mud puddles on an atv at 50km/hr is a rush i'd highly recommend if you have the opportunity.

after two hours of exploring blackcomb mountain on atvs, we began our journey back down the mountain, but not before our guide treated us to some stationary atv acrobatics. being EXTREME is a prerequisite to live in whistler.

we grabbed a few pitchers at the longhorn bar in the whistler village before we headed back to vancouver for steak dinner at the granville island keg and naked women at the cecil hotel :D alright, what's with the lack of nightlife in vancouver? the strip club closed at 1am...on a saturday! we were forced to find other entertainment, which was more difficult than it sounds. we jumped into a cab and headed to a bar called the drake. on our drive there, a group of people walked in front of our cab and one of the girls decided to lift up her skirt and show us her well coiffed bush. we were in awe. where does that shit happen? you just never know when a girl might randomly flash her beaver.

well, of course the drake was closed, so we had our cabbie take us to an after hours club...yah, i was surprised to hear that there even was an after hours club in vancouver. we ended up at a place called the world. when i asked the guy at the door what was going on, he informed me that the club was open until 7am, there is a $20 cover, no booze, house music, and a predominantly gay crowd. that didn't work well with our krew. coming from a tittie bar and ending up at a gay club wasn't the way will wanted to end his stag. while they discussed how lame vancouver nightlife is, i went down the nearest alleyway to take a leak. i had to walk around a guy smokin crack by the garbage dump before i was able to relieve myself. what the fuck? yes, vancouver has a pretty bad drug problem. lots of heroin and crack addicts, mostly concentrated in the main and hastings area (or pain and wastings as some people like to call it). that was the end of our saturday night.

on sunday, i drove to ladner near the ferry docks in tsawwassen to visit my cousin debbie and her family. my cousin's daughter sandy was also there. we had a great afternoon chilling out, enjoying sandwiches in the afternoon sunshine (and drizzle).

i picked up my friend kristin at the ferry docks around dinner time and headed back to vancouver for some japanese ramen. i had met kristin five years earlier on my last trip to british columbia. we met at three day festival called shambalah, in the b.c. kootenays. we shared a great connection, and i'm glad that we still not only keep in touch but get to spend time together. she lives in calgary, but flew out to victoria to spend time with her friend stacy, and spent the last few days of her trip with me in vancouver.

on monday, i spent the afternoon with my cousin michelle and her daughter sandy on kitsilano beach. we had a picnic in the overcast sometimes drizzling weather. its great to spend time with family. that night, kristin and i went dancing at the lotus club and watched the sun rise from jehrico beach. the mountains and the ocean are truly magical, especially when i get to share it with good people.

tuesday afternoon was spent on wreck beach off the ubc campus. wreck beach is another world altogether. the trek down there is intense, lots of stairs. the trek out of there is a challenge, even for the fit and athletic. the beach is pristine. a long sanday beach with the pacific ocean breaking against the shores. you can walk out a good 50 feet into the water and only be up to your knees. i was there with kristin and my friend alec, another omie who has made the west coast his home. hanging out naked on a beach on the ocean surrounded by trees and mountains *sigh* its very easy to tune into gaia when she's just outside your door. and if the ocean and mountains aren't enough to make wreck beach so unique, you can buy pretty much whatever altered state you like from people walking along the beach. there are naked people selling cold beers, smirnoff ice, marijuana cookies, chocolate covered mushrooms, joints, hash, samosas. its pretty crazy what people get away with on that beach. i ain't complainin.

that night, kristin's friend stacy came in from victoria. we met her in downtown vancouver for the ben harper concert at the commodore ballroom (thanks for the ticket k-dawg). the show was sold out, but kristin was able to score tix from ebay. the venue was small (900 people), which made for a very intimate atmosphere. the lineup to get in was pretty big, but there was lots of space inside to see the stage. we got ourselves a table and enjoyed a great show. i don't know too many ben harper songs, but the energy of the crowd made up for my lack of knowledge.

the last time i heard ben harper play was 2003 in toronto. kristin was visiting and my friend ron had box seats at the molson amphitheater. there was a much larger crowd at that show, and i had many close friends there to share the experience with. i enjoyed the intimacy of the commodore venue and having two hardcore ben harper fans with me made the experience even better.

the most popular ben harper song would be burn one down...its the theme music for all stoners. the cloud of smoke that rises from the crowd when this song is played is quite thick and aromatic ;)

Let us burn one

From end to end

And pass it over

To me my friend

Burn it long, we'll burn it slow

To light me up before i go



If you don't like my fire

Then don't come around

Cause i'm gonna burn one down

Yes i'm gonna burn one down



My choice is what i choose to do

And if i'm causing no harm

It shouldn't bother you

Your choice is who you choose to be

And if your causin' no harm

Then you're alright with me



If you don't like my fire

Then don't come around

Cause i'm gonna burn one down

Yes i'm gonna burn one down



Herb the gift from the earth

And what's from the earth

Is of the greatest worth

So before you knock it try it first

You'll see it's a blessing

And not a curse



If you don't like my fire

Then don't come around

Cause i'm gonna burn one down

Yes i'm gonna burn one down

i took the ferry to victoria on vancouver island the next day with kristin. the ferry ride is beautiful, breathtaking actually. cruising through the gulf islands with the sun shining *sigh* this country is just gorgeous, and the ferry ride to victoria is an excellent way to soak up the beauty of the great white north.

we were picked up by my friend stevie at the swartz bay ferry dock near victoria. stevie is also another omie from toronto that has made the west coast his home. can you sense a theme here?

kristin was heading back to calgary, so we dropped her off at the victoria airport and continued on to victoria. victoria is the capital of british columbia, and like the rest of the province it is breathtakingly beautiful. it is quiet, conservative, and home for the newly wed and the nearly dead. people are either pushing a stroller or pushing a walker. and it is very caucasian. i noticed the lack of diversity in vancouver (i saw maybe 10 black guys in van, 4 of which i saw twice) but victoria was even less multicultural. coming from toronto, the most multicultural city in the world, not seeing diversity made me feel, well, like a minority. i was walking through a neighbourhood with my friend ryan and i noticed an old man open his front door a little bit and watch as ryan and i walked past his house, then he closed his door. ryan joked and said "it's cause we're both black."

i was only in victoria for a night to see stevie and ryan. there really isn't much to do in victoria, but the company was worth the breathtaking ferry ride. i was able to czech out the whole city from the top of mount douglas at night. beautiful. and stevie has a presectiption for medical marijuana, so i was able to partake in gubment grade ganja. yes, things are different in canada, even more different in british columbia. marijuana is a huge industry, and bc kind is known worldwide. we drove past stevie's pharmacy, which was just a small store front with the windows covered up with paper. he said you can go in there with whatever money you have and they'll weigh out that much for you. $5 or $50, whatever you've got they'll sell you that much...if you have a prescription for it. vancouver also lives up to its name as vansterdam. i was in gastown with a friend and we visited a place there that you buzz up to, say a password, then proceed upstairs to a chill lounge where you can buy marijuana and hashish from a menu just like in amsterdam. kraazy!

i took the ferry back to vancouver the next day. i met a group of german exchange students on the ferry and had a great time sharing stories with them. they wer all 15 years old but looked much older. then again, i'm 30 and i look much younger.

thursday night i hung out with my friend valerie, as you guessed it another omie from toronto that now calls vansterdam home. we drank at the the cambie hostel in downtown vancouver. that place reminded me of the brunswick house in toronto, a dodgy little watering hole where youtz can get shmammered and pick up. we had a blast, and i was glad to see valerie, but my evening needed to end. i had a big day ahead of me, the main reason for my trip, will and yukiko's wedding.

will and yukiko's wedding was held in richmond, just south of vancouver (an extremely chinese part of bc). there was a shuttle bus from downtown van to the wedding in richmond. the ceremony was held in small church, but it was not a religious ceremony. i don't remember hearing any references to god. yukiko looked radiant, her dress was beautiful. the tiara was also a nice touch. it was her day, their day, and i had never seen will so happy before in my life.

there were only 30 people invited to the wedding, half of which was yukiko's family from japan. they had never been to canada before, they'd never even been on an airplane before. they also did not speak english, so they probably didn't understand what was being said at the ceremony.

my friend kate, the bride of the steve, the best man, was at the wedding. their baby is due in just a few weeks. i had my money on kate's water breaking when yukiko began her walk down the aisle, but that never happened. she was allowed to fly to vancouver though which was great. she looked as radiant as the bride though...something about expectant mothers that just make them glow.

congratulations will and yukiko. i am glad that i was able to share your wedding day with you.

the wedding reception was held at the sequoia grill right in stanley park. as with everything else surrounding the park, the venue for the reception was beuatiful. because of the small number of guests, no expense was spared when it came to the food. everything on the menu that evening was exquisite. my camera battery died just after the ceremony, so i wasn't able to take any pix during the reception :(

the speeches were done in both english and japanese. it was great to see the fusion of two different cultures, east meets west. and there was no after reception dance or dj, so no need to comment on cheezy wedding music. there was the throwing of the bouquet and the garter, which i caught. my comment later as i was wearing the garter was "i could just have easily caught the bouquet too." will's grandmother came up to me later and commented on me being the next to get married. i told her "seeing as i don't have a girlfriend or a boyfriend right now, i'm not too concerned about getting married any time soon." she said "well, you don't have to worry about marrying a boy" to which i replied "yes, but the beauty about this country is that i at least have the option." who knows, maybe i will be the next one from our krew to tie the knot. will caught the garter at steve and kate's wedding, and now he's married. maybe i'll find my partner in life sooner than i think. maybe i've already found them.

there was no cheezy wedding dj playing usual wedding fromage...there was no dj and no dancing after the reception. instead, the bridal party (sans bride and groom of course) and the rest of us visiting youtz went to a strip club called the number 5 orange room. it was fun while it lasted. what's with vancouver and places closing down so daam early? i sound like i'm repeating myself. by 1am we got the boot, and we were faced with the same old challenge: what the hell is there to do in vancouver after 1am? we ended up in gastown at a bar called the blarney stone, complete with a live band a la spirit of the west. very appropriate. it was great to see the japanese bridesmaids liftin up their skirts and jiggin to some good 'ol folk music...but that only lasted an hour. by 2am we were back in the same predicament we were in before, what is there to do? for most of our krew it was time to call it a night. i on the other hand decided to hit up the after hours club we had chosen not to attend the week before because of the gay clientele, the world. i was of course on my own. to my surprise, the world was not a gay after hours on friday night, rather an all asian trance party. i don't know how to properly describe it, but an entire club full of fucked up and tweaked out asian imports with sunglasses on was only tolerable for two hours, then i had to leave. the reason i came to the west coast was accomplished...i celebrated the union of my very good friend will and his beautiful japanese bride yukiko.

after brunch at the famous english bay milestones saturday afternoon, my friends brennan and jaqui and i decided to hang out at jehrico beach in kitsilano for the festival of folk. this yearly folk festival cost money to get in, but there were enough vendors and spectators on the other side of the fence that you didn't need to pay to hear the bands play or soak up the vibe. the weather was beautiful, and i have never come across such a high concentration of cute women in my life. very west coast, chill, laid back, hippie type folk. i was in heaven.

i picked up my very first set of poi from a vendor at the festival. i have always wanted to learn how to spin poi. during my early daze of raving, it wasn't uncommon for me to attach glow sticks to a shoelace and spin them as i danced. for those of you that don't know what poi is, its a


māori word for "ball". more specifically, poi refers to a form of juggling with balls on ropes, held in the hands and swung in various circular patterns. i have many friends who are quite proficient with poi, especially fire poi (sooo sexxxy). my goal is to be able to spin fire by the time i hit burning man, or at least by the time the man burns at the end of the celebration.

that saturday evening, brennan, jaqui, myself, and my lovely hosts brett and laura went to an all-u-can eat sushi and korean bbq restaurant called shabusen. man, i don't think i've eaten that much food in my life. between the five of us, we ate at least 120 pieces of sashimi, and a small farm's worth of chicken, beef, and pork. hey, for $22 we definitely got our money's worth.

after dinner, i jumped on the bus and headed towards east vancouver to visit my friend anastasia. here's a surprise, i don't know her from om ;) i went to university with anastasia at western. she is an omie too, but i knew and loved her before om changed our lives. she had just moved into a new place off commercial drive in east van. she's been living in vancouver for the past three years and it was great to catch up with her.

my saturday was not over yet. i said my goodbyes to anastasia and headed towards the lotus club for some dancing. i have no problems exploring a city on my own, or going to clubs on my own. i've gotten pretty used to it. the beats at lotus were great, a perfekt mix of bangin house music to shake my ass to. the people there were pretty friendly as well. i ran into a beautiful soul named kara. i'm not one for cowboy hats, but she rocked it large.

and just when you thought it was over, i ended up at the world, again! this time it was house music and a gay crowd. works for me. i got to see where the vancouver gay community get together after hours on a saturday night to shake their ass. i'm such a kissing bandit, and i've found that fag hags are so much more open to kissing than your average woman at a club. not that i don't enjoy kissing boyz too, but hags take so well to a cute boy at a gay bar that wants to make out with them, at least from my experience. i ain't gonna complain.

yes, the world was my last stop on my saturday, and i took the morning bus back to brett and laura's place at sunrise. i had such a fabulous time shakin my ass all night with new and fascinating west coast peeps.

sunday was spent at wreck beach with jaqui, brett, and laura. the sun was scorching hot, and there were nearly 2000 people soaking up the rays that afternoon at wreck beach. spending the afternoon on the beach with close friends was the most memorable afternoon of my trip. you never know what might happen at wreck beach.

on monday morning, will picked up jaqui and i very early in the morning and drove us to the airport. jaqui's flight was at 8am and mine was just after noon. so i spent the morning hanging out with will at the airport until it was time for me to catch my flight back to the big smoke. what an incredible and life changing trip it was. i can't wait to move out to the west coast later this year. i am hoping to be there by the end of the year, and will most likely live in the interior of british columbia in the kootenays. god i love wikipedia. my goal is to snowboard for an entire season, get my instructors certification and my first aid certification, then teach and patrol. the mountains are calling me.

i got some well earned rest on the plane home and arrived in toronto late monday night. i took the ttc home from the airport, and as i looked around me on the bus and subway at noticed the diversity of cultures that shared the same space as me, i was glad to be back home. being away from toronto reminded me that i am a minority because of the way other people treat me. so many people take it for granted until they leave this city. god its good to be a cute jamasian freak and still be able to blend in with others who call this city home. i'll leave you with an ani difranco quote that i say to all of my friends that return to toronto from their travels:

it's good to be back home, oh how i missed this time zone. strangers are fascinating, their mysteries never end, but there's nothing like looking at your own history in the faces of your friends.

pese and breakbeatz.

- norm \m/^_^\m/

~*...416 leavin for da 604...*~

so much accomplished this week. from dj dan at boa, the tribe annual bbq, gettin my ass nice and bruised at fet sat night, and promise cherry beach sundaze. i'll elaborate more from the west coast. what a boring blog entry. i must suck.

london got terrorized today...but that doesn't change my feelings about riding transit over here.

leaving for vancouver in one hour!

schweet

- norm \m/^_^\m/

~*...the festival formerly known as om and pride in toronto...*~

what an incredible weekend. god i love birthday month, especially in toronto. there are so many things happenning every weekend, and the weather is always fabulous. every weekend, starting in june, there is a free outdoor festival in toronto to attend. torontonians realize that we only have three months of excellent weather to take advantage of, and we take full advantage of summer. its like canadians have spent all winter ripening just waiting for summer to peel off the layers. and daam this city is full of hawties, of every race, creed, colour, and orientation.

last thursday i left the big smoke of toronto and headed towards the self proclaimed most talented town in canada, bancroft. we actually were heading to a small town outside of bancroft called shutte to attend re:union, the festival formerly known as om. om evolved into re:union and took on a different approach. it was a members only celebration, but anyone could be a member. to be a member you had to contribute both monetarily ($42 membership fee) and through volunteer time (5hrs of volunteer time). this eliminated all spectators, and left only participants who consciously made a choice to contribute their time and money to make re:union happen. the result was the tip of the spear when it came to the quality of the people there to celebrate with. re:union was a full week long event, but most of us were only able to make it up for the weekend.

i left early thursday morning with my friend neil, devi, and her friend christi who was visiting from sarasota, florida. we packed up our rental car and began our trek towards the canadian shield of ontario. our first stop was in a town called tweed to grab groceries, beer, and lunch at kelly's restaurant.
our next stop was a quick visit to neil's kitty kat mojo. mojo is currently living with neil's friend wendy who lives in a beautiful little cottage on the black river in tweed. of course we had to take a quick dip in the river before heading to bancroft, so we started our weekend nakedness a little earlier than expected. the current in the black river was very intense, so i grabbed on to some of the rocks and let my body flow with the river. with water rushing over and under me, i let gaia remind me that everything flows back into itself...and that saucy tart also massaged me in ways that i never thought she could. gaia, you dirty little slut ;)

we left tweed and arrived in shutte an hour later, with time to spare before sundown. after checking in at the gate, we parked our car and went to survey the land in our search for a camping spot. the land was beautiful, the air clean, and the lake clear and refreshing. breathing in clean air was such a change from the smog we are used to in toronto. its easy to forget the big city when you can walk around barefoot in a forest with other like minded people.

after dropping off our food donation at the kind kitchen, we set up our camp right off the main path and immediately began our canadian ritual when out in the bush: we cracked open a few beers and smoked a joint. god i love this country.

many people who were at the site had been there since the beginning of the week. there were about 150 people when we arrived. that number would double by friday night. with a smaller number of participants, and no spectators, re:union was a very intimate and tight vibe.

the om mission statement: to create an environment that encourages freedom of thought and responsibility of action through a ritual of celebration and education where we can come together to build a sustainable future.

over the past few years it became more difficult to keep the spirit of om alive in all of the om participants because of the number of spectators, people showing up expecting a party and not willing to contribute anything more than the cost of their ticket. re:union brought things back to the original grassroots mentality that om was built on, community. there were no spectators, only participants. and of course the leave no trace mentality was practiced by all, especially seeing as there were no garbage cans on the site. if you brought it with you take it with you. no one should have to pick up after you, and you should not have to pick up after other people. a very simple concept that was easy to practice which resulted in a very clean venue to celebrate on. the bathrooms however could have been better. hippie holes in the ground with a wood structure built over top of it is not a porta pottie. i really felt sorry for the females who had to perfect the hover.

it was refreshing to be out of the city with so many incredible people. there were no sound stages on the thursday night, so most of my evening was spent with friends that i had not seen in a long time. my friend corrinne was visiting from newfoundland, and i was so excited to see her. i've spent many oms with corrinne, and it was a pleasant surprise to see that she made it this year as she had recently moved to the east coastwith her daughter. if you're reading this corrinne, spending time with you at re:union was one of the highlights of my weekend. *mwah*

on friday i woke up and had something to eat at the kind kitchen, some incredible fruit salad and a bit of cereal. the kind kitchen is fueled by donations, run by volunteers, and provides vegan meals for all re:union participants throughout the celebration. at 10am, neil and i reported to the front gate for volunteer duty where we helped direct arriving cars to the parking lot (with lots of frisbee tossing in between). after our five hour volunteer shift, we headed towards the lake where we spent the rest of the day basking in the sun and swimming in the lake. its so refreshing to be surrounded by people who are comfortable being themselves, especially naked. i kept on hearing my mother in my head saying "don't you have any shame?" as i donned my birthday suit i was reminded that i am not ashamed of my body at all, and neither was any of the other naked beach goers this past weekend.

there was such a variety of people that made up the re:union community this year. from families, to gnomes, i even saw a mack daddy go for a swim. i also learned that membership doesn't necessarily mean that crazy people aren't allowed to join. i heard that there was someone who posted a sign off the main path in the forest that said "women only" which lead to a masochistic man's tent who was wielding an 8 inch hunting knife. what the fuck? i'm so glad that i never came across that guy. word is that his knife was taken away from him, and later that weekend he was removed by police from the site.

as the sun was setting, we left the lake and headed towards the kind kitchen for some dinner. on our way back, we noticed a large group of people in the field holding hands. of course we had to find our what was going on, and it seemed like we weren't the only ones being drawn towards that energy as many others followed. it was a workshop about the mayan calendar being held by an old hippie. we held hands and praised the sun as it set, then chanted and danced. seeing as there was no om circle this year, this was the closest thing.

the sound stages began that friday night. there were two stages, the hOMe bass stage by the om bus complete with a screen for projections, and another man made dome created by the omshawa crew (they built rOMe at last year's om). the music at hOMe bass began with a great variety of breaks, drum and bass, and jungle. dancing barefoot in a forest under the stars is such a magical feeling.

at 10pm on friday night, we were treated to a 7 minute trailer for peter mettler's latest documentary on om. peter directed the film gambling, gods and lsd, a three hour contemporary dream following the visible and invisible currents of our synaesthetic world. he filmed most of the content for his om documentary last year, and i was honored to spend a good amount of time with him at last years celebration sharing with each other on and off film. i remember him asking me questions which he called "triggers". i love that word. the questions he asked triggers certain parts of people's personalities, parts that make people question themselves and at the same time encourage them to feel comfortable about themselves. i 've also learned that the truth is always distorted by the presence of a camera. cameras immediately stimulate the parts of people's personality that is on film.
there were many familiar faces in peter's trailer for om, including a short clip of peter and i sharing. it was interesting seeing myself up on a screen, to hear others rekognize my existence on film, but the highlight for me was the effect my words had on the people around me. i had so many people come up to me after the trailer played and express how a few words that came out of my mouth captured on film positively affected them. i'm just as blown away by the people i share my life with, and its so easy to tune into a positive energy when you are at om. there are two ways to spread light, be the candle that creates it or the mirror that reflektz it.

what did i say in the trailer? i said "if you wonder where the vibe went, maybe you left it at home or in the car. om is what you bring to it. don't expect others to give you something that you aren't willing to put on the table yourself. the vibe is contagious, and it starts with you."

the rest of my weekend consisted of dancing barefoot with beautiful souls, swimming naked in a refreshingly cool and beautiful lake, attending workshops on topics such as alternative fuel resources and dreadlock maintenance, eating, drinking, enjoying lifted spirits, spending quality time with incredible people (hi zanzae) and of course lots of frisbee tossing. did i mention how addicted to frisbee i am? playing frisbee in the lake was too much fun. diving catches in the water took frisbee to new and refreshing levels for me.

this past weekend was also pride in toronto, a weekend that i look forward to every year. it wasn't a difficult choice when it came down to re:union or pride. as much as i love being in thebig smoke with hundreds of thousands of gorgeous and proud people, i enjoy being barefoot up north with omies just a little bit better
as we packed up sunday afternoon, i was pleasantly reminded how blessed we are to live in canada, and how beautiful ontario and the people who i share my life with are. after a nice dip in the lake we made a quick stop at the local dump where we dropped off our recycling and garbage that we accumulated over the weekend. we then had dinner in bancroft (mmm...food that once lived) and continued our four hour journey back to toronto.

i arrived at my home in toronto at 11:30pm where i bid farewell to my omie crew of neil, devi, and christi. but my evening was not over yet. i dropped my gear off, and then jumped into a cab determined to catch the tail end of pride celebrations. there were still many people walking around church street, but there were no more sound stages and most of the booths were being taken down. i still ran into some very colourful and proud revellers that littered the streets. spending the day naked by a lake with hippies and ending it surrounded by colourful and proud fagz in the big smoke...what a great weekend. i ran into some friends at zelda's on church and had a few drinks with them. we then proceeded to an after hours on yonge street where we danced until the sun came up.

i love june. i love birthday month. i am so very thankful for the people i share my life with who give my personality shape, and thankful to live in the most diverse and multicultural city in the world (it may not be perfekt but no one does it better). as i post this blog entry, canada has now become the third country in the world to rekognize same-sex marriage. i'll leave you with a quote by the good reverend al sharpton. when asked what he thought of gay marriage, al sharpton said "i have my own views on gay marriage, but those are my own views. but the moment you tell someone else that they are not entitled to the same rights and freedoms that you are entitled to is the moment you tell someone that they are less than you."

amen

i've placed pikchaz of my weekend and previous om celebrations in my pikcha archive. they will give you a window to what om is all about, but the only real way to know is to experience it. enjoy.

- normurai \m/^_^\m/

~*...the night before om re:union...*~

i don't know if any of you have had the pleasure of playing ultimate frisbee, but this has to be the most fun team sport i've ever come across. i play on a team made up of friends from the tribe board (yes, www.tribe.ca seems to be a theme with me eh?). we play in the toronto ultimate club and it so refreshing to play with a team with experience. about two years ago, my friend danielle invited me out to play ultimate with her team. i didn't think i could handle it because of the running. in '98 i busted up my knee real good skateboarding, and had reconstructive surgery on my knee. i've got a metal plate with seven screws in my leg now. i thought i would never be able to run. i proved myself wrong, and i've been addicted to ultimate ever since. think of football mixed with soccer, but with a frisbee. its such a rush.

our team is called the tribe monkeys, and on tuesday night we kicked the flickstones' ass! well, it wasn't a beating, but winning 17-10 still feels good. nice work monkees.

so tomorrow i'm going to om, or as its called this year re:union. you can go to www.sumkidz.org and find out more about the event. i went to om for the first time in '99 cause my friends roland and leanne invited me. i was a big supporter of the destiny world electronic music festival so i was a bit skeptical about attending another three day outdoor music event. boy was i ever surprised, and changed. om was more than just an outdoor music festival, it was a community. i was blown away by the people, and the mentality that they brought with them. LEAVE NO TRACE was the root ideal. if you bring it in with you, take it out. simple. and people did just that. they picked up after themselves. wow, what a simple concept. this made for a very clean and beautiful space to celebrate. and celebrate we did.

i remember running into a guy at om in '99 who was running through a daisy field with his dog. i asked "is that your dog?". he answered "naw, he's his own dog. i'm just his friend." i'll never forget that.

om is a celebration of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year (which normally falls around my birthday, schweet). on the solstice, all of the participants at om congregated, held hands, and chanted. it takes something very powerful to get a 1000 people chanting. my first year there were 750 people at om. as the years progressed, om brought in close to 5000 people. that's where things started to get crazy. at some point in time things reach critical mass, a point where the society and mentality break down, where it can't support itself anymore. om started to get more spectators than participants. people who came expecting something without putting anything in. it also became very expensive to hold an event for 5000 people outdoors, and people began to complain about the high ticket prices. the core group who organized om had a huge task before them, organize an outdoor festival for 5000 people. it took a lot of work, and the core did not get the recognition or the compensation they deserved.

last year, the venue for om was pulled out from under them 5 days before the festival. the core had to find a new venue within days and move the entire festival, which had already begun to be constructed, to another spot. thank god they found a new place to hold the event, but it was a good 5 hour drive west of where they had originally planned. in the end, it was the people that made om what it was last year. there are no spectators, only participants. at least that's what they tried to bring out in the "omies". i've always known that. don't expect someone to do something that you aren't willing to do yourself. don't expect anything if you're not willing to put something into it.

this year's om has taken a new turn. participants are required to be members, holding each person accountable for their actions and making it mandatory to contribute to the community financially and through volunteering time. some people felt that this approach was elitist, that it excluded people. i think its a great idea. it keeps the numbers down, filters out the people who refer to the om mentality as "hippie shit", and holds each person accountable for their own actions. i could go on and on about om, and maybe i will in future. but what i've learned from on is that it is possible to create a sustainable future. it is possible to pick up after yourself. it is possible to live and celebrate peacefully with your fellow man. om is the most inspiring place i've been to, it inspired me to act. it has changed my life. i can't wait to contribute and celebrate again this year...even if it means that i miss toronto pride celebrations. i fukkin love pride weekend, but i love om just a little bit more....just a little.

yes, that is an om logo in my dredi knight brand. i was trying to figure out how to include the om logo with dredi knight. i first thought that i could replace the e in dredi with the om symbol cause it looks like a number 3. but what if people didn't know what it was, and assumed it was a 3? they'd go to dr3diknight.com then it hit me. there it is, right in front of me. dredi knight dot cohm. and if people got confused the first assumption is that it is a dot com. the om symbol used is also my own version of the symbol. i also have it tattooed on my shoulder. yup, it changed my life that much. to me, om means that everything is occurring perfectly at all times. it is the sound of the universe, the sound of oneness.

to see pix of my first om, just go to my pikcha archive.

i'll see you after om.

namaste

- norm \m/^_^\m/

[ [ The Debaucherous XXX Birthday of a Dredi Knight ] ]

wow. what an incredible birthday week. so incredible that it has taken me this long to get my review of my birthday week online. please bear with me as i'm trying out different blogging software. i'm feelin out my options. let me know what you think.

so this is my first real entry for my blog on www.drediknight.com what better event to launch my site than my XXX birthday. funny, i never thought i'd live to see 30. i don't know what it is, but i've learned that i'm not the only one who thought they would not live to see 30. turns out i've never been more excited for a birthday than my 30th.

celebrations began on wednesday night, the eve of my XXX. i went to my first activate wednesday jam at footwork. in an attempt to recreate the energy and vibe that was activate wednesdays at element, the activate boyz moved venues to the new footwork as element had closed down. but what made activate wednesdays the best midweek party that toronto had to offer was the people and the venue. combined, the people and element made a great duo. element was a perfect size for wednesday night debauchery, and the people were always out in full force. i didn't get that at footwork last wednesday, so after a few drinks my friend keli and i left. it was 12:30am when we left, a half hour into my birthday. i was a bit disappointed that my birthday was starting off on a less than favourable note (i do love you though keli!), but i wanted more. so on our walk home i stuck my head into every club and bar on queen street to see what was going on. i ended up at system soundbar for my friend roland's wednesday night breaks/down tempo night. it was there that i ran into my friend cory and his beautiful friend olivia who was visiting from new jersey. there weren't many people at system, but i had the company of two beautiful souls to spend the first hours of my birthday with. we ended up at cory's place where we enjoyed each other's company and listened to some incredible beatz. olivia, if you're reading this, toronto looks good on you. i had a great time getting to know you. you should definitely come back here to live.

after a brief nap, i made it over to dreadmaster drew's to get my locks tightened. i normally get my locks tightened every three months. imagine you were being swung around by your hair for two hours, that's what its like to get your hair tightened. but daam do my locks look good. its been a year since i got my dreads done, a one year anniversary for my three year hair plan. yes, i planned out my hairstyle for three years. i knew what hairstyle i would have, what colour it would be, and when it would happen. it all lead up to getting dreadlocks last year on my birthday. it started at om in 2001. i had three red mohawks at om 2001 for four daze. then i shaved my head. after one month, i bleached my hair blonde and then never touched my hair again for almost two years. i let my hair grow out, and because i bleached it when it was very short, the tips of each hair was blonde. yes, i had to go through the dreaded mullet, but i embraced it. its tough when your hair isn't long enough to be put into a pony tail. then i dyed my hair red, which really only coloured the blonde tips red. i had a lot of fun with red tipped hair. in spring of 2003, i had my friend keli cut my hair for the first time in almost two years. it was cut to shoulder length and i began to style it like a samurai (or a normurai), a single pony tail on the top with the rest of my hair hanging down. then on my birthday of 2003, i bleached blonde the part of my hair that was not in the pony tail. i had seen a hawt asian guy with this hairstyle a few years ago and i was blown away. i used to have my hair half blonde half black, but split down the middle. this half and half style was something new for me, and i couldn't wait to rock that style. it even looked hawt with bunz. there just aren't enough boyz walking around with bunz in their hair in my opinion. then on halloween of 2003 i dyed the blonde part of my hair red . red is a hard color to keep red, but it sure looks hawt when its fresh (which is only for a couple of daze). on my birthday, 2004, i got dreadmaster drew to twist my red and black hair into dreadlocks. i chose him because he came highly recommended from other dreadz. he uses a special twisting method that he developed over the past 20 years twisting up locks. he uses no product when twisting locks, no wax at all, just a special knotting method. his locks are the nicest i've ever seen. my hair was a challenge for him because it was so healthy, but he did an excellent job. i am now a dread. alright, now you know about my three year hair plan. yah, as you already know i'm not your average dude. hairstyles aren't necessary but hella fun.

my birthday party this year was off the chain. my friends danielle and ron helped organize a party full of the best people at fez batik. celebrations began at 6pm, even though i didn't arrive until just after 7pm. there were over 260 people on the evite list. i was hoping for a response of about a third, maybe 90 people or so. 139 people responded to the evite. i was so excited to spend my birthday with good people. as i get older, i've learned that i don't have time for shitty people in my life. and it was evident that i did not invite shitty people to my birthday party. we had the patio booked and filled it with the best people. i was pleasantly reminded how incredible the people in my life are, they give my personality shape. danielle, you rawk! she even put up posters on queen street encouraging people to come to my birthday party. there were drink specials and a live band playing. unfortunately we did not have control over the beatz (sorry linzee, turtle, jeremy, dave), but the people made up for it. man, was i ever shmammered. my quote for the evening was TOO MANY BIRTHDAY DRINKS AND NOT ENOUGH NORM! the rainbow of alcoholic beverages took its toll on me half way through the night, and i had to retire to the bathroom to purge myself. i then proceeded to hide out in the back drinking water prepping myself for the next onslaught of "happy birthday man, let me buy you a drink." i was pretty good for the rest of the evening, asking for only one type of alcoholic beverage in an attempt to be nice to my stomach. beer seemed to do the trick...yah, it got me right wrecked.

wow do i ever keep some good looking people in my life. i guess like attracts like. my friends danielle and john even had shirts made that said "who's norm?". my friend sue even dressed up as me. its an interesting feeling being me eh sue? you immediately stimulate the dredi in other people. glad you enjoyed the window into my life.

i got a shirt made for the evening that said "sleeps well with others". i'm such a pleasure slut. then my friends kiki and bethany gave me a pin to wear that said "tame me". my friends know me too well. and no, i don't even think i'm tamable, but if you're up for the challenge i'm always down. the evening was filmed by jason and hilda (thanks guys). people left birthday messages for me and answered a simple question. "who is norm to you?". clips from that video will be up on the site once they have been edited. in the meantime, you can view pix of my birthday debauchery in the pikcha section of my site.

thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate my birthday with me. you give my personality shape, and i'm blessed to have the fukkin kewlest peeps to share my life with. thanks to danielle and ron for organizing the best birthday party ever. thanks to graham for helping danielle plaster queen street with posters. thanks to elsbeth and regan for taking my drunk ass home, holding my head out of the toilet as i worshipped the porcelain god, and even helping me brush my teeth. you guys rawk!

if you wanna see what other people had to say about my birthday celebrations, just head on over to tribe magazine for a review of my XXX birthday shenanigans.

and finally, thanks to you who are reading this blog entry. without any of you, i would not have anyone to share my life with, or anyone interested in following it.

the rest of my birthday weekend was just as top notch. i attended a private play party on friday night (teehee), a baby shower for my friends steve and kate on saturday, followed by the fetish masquerade. the theme for fet was samurais, shoguns, and geishas. oh my god, i was in heaven. so much asian silk on too many hawt bodies *drool*. thanks for joining me kiki! you looked fukkin hawt! on sunday i had brunch with my sister in the gaybourhood at zelda's. god i love that place. then we watched batman begins (the best batman evar), and then i ended my bday weekend chillin at toronto's best weekly event, the promise cherry beach soundsystem.

this summer will be epic for me, it already has been. its like i've been waiting in line all year and i'm finally getting on the ride. and what a ride it is. stay tuned for more adventures of this dredi knight. only two more sleeps until om

namaste