Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in WordFreak's LiveJournal:

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Sunday, May 17th, 2009
1:58 am	Scrabble in the City — 6th Anniversary Party It's been a while since I posted here, but some of you may remember that I host a weekly, casual Scrabble club on Monday evenings in The Annex. Well, it's still going strong. In fact, this Monday marks our sixth anniversary of bringing people together over a few drinks, good food and your favourite word game. Please join us this holiday Monday afternoon from 4 p.m to 7 p.m. (may go longer) for some late afternoon fun and games. We'll have special Theme Word Prizes to help mark the occasion. Here's the Facebook event page with more info. For details about Scrabble in the City, please see our Facebook group. — Word! Current Music: "Word Up" by Cameo (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, August 18th, 2008
2:54 pm	Scrabble in the City on a patio tonight! THREADS on the Patio at Scrabble In The City 1 Originally uploaded by Word Freak. Are you miffed about the death of Scrabulous on Facebook? Feel that Wordscraper robs you of the blanks? It's great patio weather, so please join us tonight at Kilgour's pub (on Bloor St. W. at Borden) for some good times and great games. Come join us from 7 p.m. onwards tonight as we play a few games over drinks as the sun goes down on the patio at Kilgour's pub. Details in the facebook group. Hope to see you there. — Word! Current Mood: cheerful Current Music: "Cloudbusting" by Kate Bush (Comment on this)
Thursday, August 7th, 2008
5:57 pm	Scrabulous no more. Wordscraper emerges. Your Move Originally uploaded by Word Freak. It's kind of ironic how the online Scrabble world came undone during the National Scrabble Championships, where I competing among over 650 participants across North America and overseas. I'm upset that my dozen Scrabulous games-in-progress were wiped out with the taking down of Scrabulous on Facebook. A day or two later, the makers of Scrabulous emerge with Wordscraper, their answer to Hasbro's claim that their online version of Scrabble infringes on the copyright that they rightfully own. The verdict? We now get to create our own board configuration, although we can still create one that resembles the original Scrabble board we're all familiar with (you need only create the board once). There's also a different colour scheme, along with circular icons for the premium letter spots on the board. All in all, a clumsy transition. Meanwhile, Hasbro comes out with their equally abominable online version on Facebook. While still in beta, its clunky interface leaves a lot to be desired. Personally, I'd rather go back to the International Scrabble Club (ISC) site, which you can find at and still play your friends from around the world. But, unlike Scrabble on Facebook, on ISC you have to play in real time. ABC Nightline had a recent item on the kerfuffle. There's always the face-to-face Scrabble, which we still play every Monday night at Kilgour's pub. What do you think of the changing face of Scrabble on Facebook? — Word! Current Mood: discontent Current Music: "I'm Bringing Scrabble Back" by Kalan Porter (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, May 29th, 2008
8:05 pm	Gun-shaped Jewelery Prompts Airport Security Foolishness You'd better think twice before boarding that plane with your gun tattoo or necklace charm. As reported on blogTO yesterday: A passenger was put through the bureaucratic and culture-of-fear rigmarole while trying to board a place in Kelowna - all because she wore a necklace with a pendant in the shape of a Colt45. — Word! read more | digg story Current Mood: annoyed Current Music: "Shoot To Thrill" by AC/DC (Comment on this)
Monday, May 19th, 2008
1:38 pm	Scrabble in the City — Victoria Day edition Come celebrate Victoria Day with us today as we also celebrate our 5-year anniversary of Scrabble in the City. It's hard to believe that we've been going five years strong now, entertaining hundreds of word-game lovers on Monday nights since Heather started this club at Fez Batik back in May 2003. I hope you can join us for some fun and games. We'll have special anniversary theme-word prizes that anyone can win, regardless of your level of play. Scrabble in the City is a downtown Toronto fun and casual Scrabble club that meets at Kilgour's pub on Bloor, just east of Bathurst every Monday nights, starting at 7pm. We usually play 'til at least 10. You may drop by anytime to get in on a game. Since it's a holiday Monday, we'll be starting earlier than usual, at 4 in the afternoon, hopefully on the patio if the weather's good enough for you. Bring a friend, bring your game. Word! For all the details, see the Facebook event page I set up for this afternoon/evening's fun and games. — Word! Current Mood: cheerful Current Music: "Victoria" by The Kinks (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, March 30th, 2008
8:02 pm	SCRABBLE® Challenge this Monday night! This Monday evening we'll be supporting literacy through Frontier College's SCRABBLE® Challenge. It's just like a regular night of Scrabble in the City at Kilgour's pub, but you're encouraged to support the cause and make a donation. Please spread the word and bring your friends and family. As usual, we start at 7pm and go until you're all Scrabbled out. Feel free to drop by anytime. We've got plenty of Scrabble boards, but you're welcome to bring your own. For more info on Frontier College, check out their Scrabble Night in Canada page. Please RSVP in the Event page of the Scrabble in the City facebook group. In Toronto, Frontier College works with more than 20 community partners and hundreds of volunteers to deliver literacy programs to children, youth and adults. Programs include Reading Circles, Homework Clubs, Independent Studies, Beat the Street and One-to-One Tutoring with Children, Youth and Adults. — Word! Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: "Our Hell" by Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton (Comment on this)
Monday, February 25th, 2008
2:08 pm	Scrabble in the City: Reading Week Edition Scrabble in the City: Family Day edition Originally uploaded by Word Freak. Just a quick reminder that tonight is the special Reading Week edition of Scrabble in the City. Last Monday's Family Day edition of Scrabble in the City was a lot of fun. We had a family picnic of prizes given out. The best theme word played was DADDY. Be sure to check out the photos from last week and/or join the Scrabble in the City facebook group. Tonight I'll have Theme Word Prizes for the best Reading Week words. Whatever your Scrabble ability, please come join us at Kilgour's pub on Bloor Street (just east of Bathurst) for some Scrabble fun over drinks, starting at 7 p.m. — Word! Current Mood: busy Current Music: "Reading in Bed" by Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton (Comment on this)
Sunday, February 17th, 2008
7:54 pm	Family Day Scrabble Fun! This Monday being Family Day, we'll have a special holiday edition of Scrabble in the City. This special early afternoon of Scrabble will start at 1 p.m and go right through the afternoon. Come celebrate Family Day and bring a family member to qualify for a special prize. Got a sibling Scrabble rivalry over the years? Is your dad or grandma better than you? Make them prove it at Kilgour's pub. Come settle it over drinks and fun with us Monday afternoon. If you plan to go, please RSVP at the Facebook event page. See you soon. — Word! Current Mood: happy Current Music: "1234" by Feist (Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008
11:45 pm	Paint the Town Red! All is full of love Originally uploaded by Word Freak. Wish I were in Toronto for this. If you're still up and are up for an adventure, take a stroll down to Queen St. W. for a night you won't forget. Wipe away the Valentine's Day blahs and make a difference in the lives of ordinary strangers. Paint the town red! — Word! Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: "All Is Full Of Love" by Björk (Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 6th, 2008
9:42 pm	In the DJ Booth With the Degrassi Girls Spike and Caitlin from the TV series Degrassi Junior High are now guest deejays at a monthly '80s dance night called In Between Days in Toronto. Last Friday, I braved the elements and hit up The Annex Wreckroom and was rewarded with a really fun '80s dance party with guest DJs Spike (DJ Demanda) and Caitlin (DJ Mistycious). The two TV actresses -- Spike is actually Amanda Stepto and Caitlin is Stacie Mistysyn -- take turns doing 30 minute sets and posing for photos with their fans. The duo have been friends since the Degrassi days. For the full story, see my blogTO post. You digg? — Word! read more | digg story (Comment on this)
Monday, December 24th, 2007
12:40 am	Scrabble in the City (Holiday Edition) Some of you may remember the weekly Scrabble in the City club that I've been running for the past couple of years at Kilgour's. Well, I'm back at it tomorrow for a special Holiday Edition. Come throw down some tiles with us Monday over drinks at a bar. This is face-to-face, trash-talking bar Scrabble — not your drawn-out, watered-down Scrabulous derivative. This Monday being Christmas eve, Kilgour's is closing early. But that won't stop us from having some Scrabble fun! This special early afternoon of Scrabble is from 12-3. Get there at 11 when they open if you're super-eager, or stay until 4 when they kick us out. What else do you have to do on a Monday afternoon? I'll have special Theme Word Prizes for the best holiday words. So get your word on! — Word! P.S. For those new to this, check out the Facebook group for details. Current Mood: cheerful Current Music: "Baby Jesus" by Regina Spektor (Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 18th, 2007
3:03 pm	What's the world coming to? Photo of schoolgirls in Afghanistan by Farzana Wahidy. This time last week, Toronto media was reacting to the death of Aqsa Parvez, sparking a lot of debate around inter-generational culture clashes in Muslim Canadians. What's perhaps even more upsetting is the notion that women are still blamed for being in the company of men who aren't their husbands. The penalty? 200 lashes and six months in prison. If she's lucky. As The Globe and Mail originally reported, "The victim in the case, known only as the 'Girl of Qatif' after her hometown in eastern Saudi Arabia, was in a car with a man in 2006 when they were attacked and raped by seven men." I wonder what the penalty would have been had it been a man who was suspected of cheating on his wife. What does this say about the differences in public perception of justice and equality? — Word! Current Mood: annoyed Current Music: "Say It Isn't So," by Hall & Oates (Comment on this)
Sunday, December 16th, 2007
4:28 pm	Internship of Winter Weather Santa Aping Around Originally uploaded by Word Freak. My internship at Toronto's 24 Hours newspaper began today. Another day of winter feature hunting. The editor joked that I always bring the weather with me. They ended up running a couple of my photos for tomorrow's paper. The one on the right about the Santarchy jaunt and the one below made it onto the GTA page. I think I had better shots of this. But I can't complain. I'm learning lots just being out there and getting used to the urgency of deadlines. I almost had the front cover again, but a CP wire photo trumped me. Hey, ya can't be everywhere at the same time. Were I at Bloor and Yonge when the cross-country skiers were there, I'd have been all over it. Like white on snow! — Word! Current Mood: accomplished Current Music: "Weather With You" by Crowded House (Comment on this)
Saturday, December 15th, 2007
1:35 am	I BELIEVE IN ZANTA Zanta says, "Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!" Originally uploaded by Word Freak. I'm done my classes for the year. Merry Christmas everybody! In the spirit of Zanta, you can now show your Toronto pride by ordering your very own I believe in Zanta t-shirt. Yes! Yes! Yes! But hurry, as orders will be accepted only until 11:59 PM EST this Sunday December 16th. — Word! Current Mood: bouncy Current Music: "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" by Daft Punk (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, December 3rd, 2007
7:32 pm	Synchronicity Snow Angels Originally uploaded by Word Freak. Sometimes life's synchronicities are pretty sweet. Last summer I was covering the Harry Potter book launch for blogTO and one of the people I photographed tells me he's a journalist himself. But it doesn't end there.... At the Great White North photojournalism Workshop last month I meet Tom Braid, Photo Editor of The Edmonton Sun. Tom likes my portfolio and thinks I should contact Ted Rath at 24 Hours in Toronto. So Ted and I email back and forth and set up an interview, which I go to yesterday. After spending a moment describing the kind of writing and photography I do for blogTO and he gives me a quizzical look and then says, "You were the one who took a photo of me and my kids and interviewed one of my daughters for the Harry Potter event, weren't you?" We both have a good laugh. So it turns out that Ted is the Managing Editor of the newspaper I'm going to be interning at. I'm pretty excited about the prospect of putting my skills to work. I've agreed to get a jump-start on things and will begin December 16. Ted introduces me to his newsroom and we discuss what they're covering for the paper that day. I offer to try to get some winter features for them. A couple of hours later, after trudging through the snow and slush and freezing rain, I'm filing from a wireless connection in Starbucks. Here's the photo that appeared on the front page of 24 Hours today. I got another one, of two kids making snow angels, on page six as well. — Word! Current Mood: amused Current Music: "Dogs of Lust" by The The (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, November 29th, 2007
6:29 am	Fake Pipe Bomb Found at Toronto Museum — Related Videos Surface on YouTube A bomb scare outside the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto Wednesday evening, just after 7 p.m. in the lead-up to an AIDS fundraiser. A device constructed from three pipes wired together was discovered and subsequently removed by police robot. Meanwhile, a suspicious related hoax bomb video appears on YouTube. Could it be an art-school student prank? read more | digg story (Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 27th, 2007
4:09 am	Blondie vs. Method Man Method Man @ The Kool Haus Originally uploaded by Word Freak. Which would you rather see and why? — Word! Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: "Bring the Pain" by Method Man (Comment on this)
Friday, November 23rd, 2007
6:44 am	Do Blondes Really Have More Fun? GMMF: Stand and deliver Originally uploaded by Word Freak. One of my favourite childhood memories was watching The Muppet Show, the Debbie Harry's episode among my most memorable moments. Tonight I'm going to see Blondie in the flesh. While researching Deborah Harry, I came across a series of photos taken by a really cool portrait and fashion photographer, Joe Gaffney, who's got quite an interesting bio. Imagine photographing Salvador Dalí! While I've got to photograph a few big stars already, most of it has been during live performances. Many years ago I got to interview some cool artists and bands, including Howard Jones, The Cult and James. I'm sure I'll get the opportunity to shoot other famous subjects in the years ahead. Not that I'm starstruck; early on I learned that they're just people who happened to become famous strumming a guitar. Still, it's interesting getting to know them on a one-to-one level after only knowing them as an artist or performer. And as a photographer, I love the challenge of capturing their essence in an image or two. Who would you like to have the experience photographing? — Word! Current Mood: productive Current Music: "In the Flesh" by Blondie (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 21st, 2007
12:48 pm	Drew Barrymore sighting at the Windsor Arms? If you want to take a date to an upscale hotel/bar, this may be your ticket. Recently ranked number one hotel in Toronto in the Readers' Choice Awards by Conde Nast Traveler, The Windsor Arms Hotel is the place to be for movie stars like Drew Barrymore and Forrest Whittaker. There's even a spa on the premises with private treatment rooms.... — Word! read more | digg story Current Mood: amused Current Music: "Firestarter" by Prodigy (Comment on this)
Monday, November 19th, 2007
8:50 pm	Lightsabre Battle! Lightsabre Battle! Originally uploaded by Word Freak. Last Friday night I attended Newmindspace's Lightsabre Battle in front of the Royal Ontario Museum on Bloor Street. I was thrilled to see so many Star Wars fans and kids, young and old, enjoy an evening of sabre-wielding fun. I'm also glad it didn't get out of hand. With over 2,000 people turning up, it could've easily turned into another Taser nightmare. — Word! (5 Comments |Comment on this)