friday july 11

today i rode the college streetcar from dufferin to bay with an elderly man - he appeared to be a veteran - who was transporting a giant teddy bear and was the most cheerful ttc passenger i'd ever encountered. for the entirety of his ride, he loudly sang songs, including seemingly self-invented selections about how great toronto is ("this city is your city / this city is my city / from pickering boundary to mississauga / from lake ontario to steeles ave," etc.) and about the great work ttc drivers do. he greeted everyone who came onto the streetcar with a rousing "welcome aboard and thank you for taking the ttc!" he told young people to enjoy their time in the greatest city in the world (toronto, which he likened to new jerusalem), and pointed out several times that 266 different languages are spoken here. when a woman with grey hair sat down near him, he exclaimed, "i like this young girl sittin' down next to me!"

he was a tour-de-force.

while my ideal ttc ride typically involves everyone minding their own business and no one talking, i was in a fantastic mood by the time he got off the streetcar at bay.