So here I was, all set to jot down some serious observations about the local scene, when Gosling-mania broke out in the newsroom.
Would you believe some semi-serious observations?
For the uninitiated, Gosling-mania is a reference to Hollywood heart-throb Ryan Gosling, who was at Brock Wednesday to take in his mom’s convocation. He was accompanied by his latest squeeze, glamourpuss Eva Mendes.
You may have noticed some coverage on our website. There was much social media traffic, too.
As fate would have it, I watched a movie of his, Ides of March, just the other night. It’s a cynical take on American hardball politics. Gosling played a high-placed political operative to presidential candidate George Clooney. Interesting enough flick. And Gosling is very good in the movie. In fact, he has a very impressive track record as an actor.
Something tells me, though, it was more than his acting ability that set certain hearts aflutter in the newsroom Wednesday.
Kind of reminded me of the bad old days 30 years ago when a male-dominated newsroom could be seen grunting admiringly at the latest Lakeside Beach sun-bathing pics taken by our crack team of male photographers.
Clearly, we’ve come a long way
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Maybe it’s because I’ve essentially been a non-factor in the office playoff pool for more than a month. Plus, I don’t have a fave team involved in the final series or, more importantly, a team I really dislike.
Whatever. This has to be the most insignificant, under-the-radar, least-talked-about Stanley Cup final I can ever remember.
Oh for those glory days a couple of months ago when violence was running amok and interest was through the roof.
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They paved the parking lot behind Gord’s Place on Wednesday.
That’s gotta be a good sign they’ll be opening this summer, right?
In a column earlier this week expressing surprise at how easily a proposed Port condo project breezed through St. Catharines city council, I listed a few reasons why that might have been the case.
I should have added another one.
Access to the condo property is gained via a glorified, one-lane driveway called Gary Road. The lane is owned by a couple of property owners who live above it on Dalhousie Ave. The developer had obtained legal rights to use it, but the property owners still weren’t happy with the prospect of others using their lane and the possible liability issues that may arise because of it.
Anyway, just prior to Monday night’s meeting, the developer struck a deal to buy the lane from the aforementioned property owners, eliminating a potential sore spot for city councillors.
Don’t know how much concerns over the right-of-way would have affected council’s decision-making Monday, but with the the issue off the table it was a slam dunk for the developer.
It was suggested to me by a city councillor that the Beaches of Port project may adversely affect Port Place’s ability to sell its units, the presumption being that Beaches’ prices would be more attractive.
Interesting comment.
I’ll ask Port Place pooh-bahs about it when I get the chance.
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I’m addicted to the city webcam that streams a live picture of the performing arts centre. Look at it every day. Two or three times.
Is this my life for the next two years?
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Last week, I had sport with the idea that it was going to cost upwards of $300,000 to build a pedestrian bridge over Twelve Mile Creek as part of the Laura Secord trail project. Plus, there all sorts of bureaucratic hoops to jump through, including the need to have the federal Oceans and Fisheries folks to sign off on it.
Hey, if you didn’t laugh at this stuff, you’d cry.
Anyway, I hope my ridicule didn’t cause anyone to think less of the trail project.
I think it’s a terrific idea to develop a trail that will allow people to re-enact Secord’s 1813 journey to warn the Brits of an impending American attack.
And one can only hope that sanity will prevail in order that a reasonably priced span can be constructed over the creek.
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