One of the best perks at work is the amazing garage that I have access to. It is equipped with everything I need to work on my cars and it doesn’t hurt that it looks awesome.

For a high rez version click HERE

This is the lounge, which I have a love hate relationship with. Its awesome for parties but it takes up valuable space where I could store my cars.

There are some pretty awesome projects going on in here, like a like this Plymouth Road Runner waiting for a new Hemi engine and a rear end.

This Rambler is being cut up to have a new tube chassis front end put on before a big twin turbo V8 ends up in the engine bay.

Then there’s the our crew, Nate and I are here almost every weekend wrenching on our project cars trying to ensure we meet tight magazine deadlines.

Snap-On has supplied us with all the tools for the shop and I have to admit, if I can ever afford a tool chest like this I definitely will, it’s worth every penny.

Finally, on the right side of the garage there’s the motorcycle guys. I’ve been itching to get my license but can’t seem to find the time to get it done.

After getting home from an evening of social activities, I quickly found myself fast asleep in my bed only to be woken up by a large metal on metal sound followed by a car alarm. Most people don’t get out of their beds when they hear car alarms but me being a paranoid car guy I always go see whats going on.

Peering off my balcony I see this mess.

By the looks of it, this BMW 7-series smashed into the Toyota truck, which careened onto the sideway and into the Mazda3 along with the BMW.

The damage looked substantial, especially for the truck. This is exactly why I don’t park my cars on the street. Drunk drivers always smash into your car when you least expect it.

I was pretty impressed how quickly the police showed up.

This Benz suffered the least amount of damage but still got pushed a good ways forward from its original parking spot.

From what I could see and hear, this was the passenger of the BMW and the driver booked it down to the beach. The cops were checking him out to see if he had a bit too much of the sauce himself.

I wasn’t about to watch the clean up since it was already way too late. Remember, don’t drink and drive people, it’s just not worth putting yourself into a situation like this.

It never ceases to amaze me as to the condition of vehicles that people will drive. I understand these are tough times in this world and not everyone can afford to drive a nice car but I think this is taking it a bit too far.

This poor Toyota Matrix has seen better days and must have been rear ended pretty badly for it to be crunched in like that. Sure it may be still drivable but with that extensive amount of damage there’s no way it should be driven on the road. The rear crumple zone is just that crumpled and in the event of another accident the car and driver are at much greater risk. I think back to the days of driving in Ontario and I would never see something like this on the road. I guess with some many people on the roads in LA, the chances of being caught driving a car like this are slimmer than back north. Heck, for all I know it could be legal.

Starbucks is about to release its largest cup size ever, the Trenta, a slushie-like size that holds 916ml of fluid. In an age where excess and obesity are both on the rise you’d think there would be a push to reduce calories and intake but capitalism rules and profits trump health.

I found this diagram to be a great example of why you should avoid the Trenta sized cup at Starbucks at all costs. Your stomach will thank you.

These are the last three photos I took before leaving Toronto.

The city is always under construction and I can’t help but admire the work that goes into building such massive concrete structures that so many people call home.

This Scion boutique store is one of the first in North America. It’s not a dealership but a no pressure showroom where customers can browse cars without the pressure of buying them from salesmen. I really dig the concept and the design inside is particularly cool. I wish I had gotten photos of it, next time!

And finally one last photo of a plane being de-iced. I won’t ever see this sort of thing in LA.

When I was in high school I spent a lot of time working at a fast food joint called Harvey’s. I didn’t particularly enjoy the job but it gave me some extra money on the side so for three years I slaved away working there. What I didn’t realize at the time was that Harvey’s actually makes really good burgers but their poutine is arguably the best. So whenever I’m back in town I plan to make a stop there and enjoy a fine fast food (but very tasty) meal.

That’s what I like to call a real meal.

Another favorite pastime that I don’t do much of in LA is watch hockey. Oddly enough I probably have gone to more LA Kings hockey games than I have watched hockey in LA. What better way to enjoy a hockey game then with a cheap Canadian beer. Yes, I said cheap because in my opinion that’s about the only way to drink Molson Canadian, whenever it’s the cheapest beer on tap. This fine pitcher cost 8 dollars.

Hockey…

and beer make for a great combination.