David Barker

He spoke to my class when I was in law school. As he spoke, he looked up at the no smoking sign, shrugged, and lit a cigarette.

A map from the Strava app indicating with an orange line a running route through Toronto’s Don Valley. The map is overlaid with running statistics and the words, “Running into a stiff headwind (both ways!)”

Heading out for a run this am, Sikhs were protesting across the road in front of the Indian consulate, calling for an independent Punjab. Meanwhile a woman dressed as a banana was leaning against a post and smoking a cigarette. I love this town! #Toronto #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning

A black and white impromptu portrait of a bearded man in profile wearing a cap under a hoodie with hands clasped together as if in prayer.

A black and white photo of people charging up York Street from Bremner Boulevard in Toronto. They are in the underpass beneath the railway tracks where everything is concrete. A person near the front of the pack is holding up a big raptor head.

A black and white photograph, a night shot at the intersection of Toronto’s Front and York streets. A crowd gathers around a utility pole supporting crossing lights and some people have climbed the pole and are sitting on the lights.

A black and white photograph shot at the Yonge and Bloor intersection in Toronto. A young woman stands in sock feet on top of a car, arms raised, screaming into her cellphone.

The last major sports win in #Toronto was on June 13, 2019 - the #Raptors won the NBA championship. That brought the best from our city which came out to celebrate in all its ecstatic diversity. Here’s hoping the #BlueJays summon that same spirit. #StreetPhotography #Photography #BlackAndWhite #BNW

This morning I got my flu and Covid-19 #vaccines because, you know, science. They were free because, you know, socialized health care. No appointment, no waiting, just walk in. The icing on the cake would be a #BlueJays win! #Toronto

Fort Wayne, Indiana had a similar problem with a street named for their former mayor, Harry Baals.

Selfie of a seriously bald runner posing on a golden leaf-covered trail in the forest. The image comes from the poster’s Strava account and so is overlaid with running stats and the words, “To The Bald Heads.”

Out on an urban #TrailRun this morning, thinking of Jamaica & listening to Peter Tosh when one line stood out: To the bald heads, respect the Rastaman. It’s like he was talking directly to me. #RunSky #TrailRunning #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning

Abandoned train tracks recede into the distance. The image comes from the poster’s Strava account and so is overlaid with running stats and the words, “Running to David Bowie & Mark Knopfler.”

Cool autumn run in Toronto’s Don Valley. You’d think, given her running-friendly name, I’d be listening to Taylor Swift. But no. Today I ran to the more age-aligned stylings of David Bowie & Mark Knopfler. #Running #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning #Toronto

A view from above of a van parked anglewise on a sidewalk. There is snow and ice along the curb. Smoke billows from the van’s engine. On the right side of the van, two firefighters attend to the scene but one is mostly obscured by the smoke. On the left side, a pedestrian is making to walk around the van. A yellow hose curves from the top of the image and disappears in the smoke.

A shot I made early in 2016 overlooking Bloor St E in #Toronto. Firefighters put out a fire in a van that had pulled onto the sidewalk. No one was hurt but it was dramatic all the same. #Fire #Smoke #FireFighters #Photography #StreetPhotography #Urban #UrbanPhotography

🎃Thei did the Mash; thei did the Monstere Mash.
The Monstere Mash: beholde, sepulchral smash!
Thei did the Mash, and it kaughte on moost fast -
Hark, heare the Mash! Forsooth, the Monstere Mash!🎃

A string of concrete barriers curves through a parking lot and disappears into trees in the middle distance. Behind the trees stands a big apartment building. The image comes from the poster’s Strava account and so is overlaid with running stats and the words, “A because-I-can long run.”

Did a progression-y long run this afternoon. It’s like a New Year’s resolution: I promise myself that I’ll practise starting slow instead of starting out like a 6 yr old and screaming whee! #Running #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning #ProgressionRun #LongRun

Have tickets for Wednesday. Looking forward to it.

An iron train trestle spans a river and is reflected in its water. On the far bank, trees rise up beyond the trestle and their leaves exhibit all the colours of a brilliant fall morning. Because the image comes from the poster’s Strava account, it is overlaid with running stats and the words, “Oh what a beautiful morning…”

What a beautiful cool fall morning! Perfect for a recovery run in the Don Valley where the colours are glorious. #Toronto #Running #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning

The new Glen Rd pedestrian bridge isn’t exactly conducive to scenic vistas.

Thanks!

A bottle of Wiyanna Wanda Bordeaux style blended red wine from Icellars Winery in the Niagara Region. Beside it, in the centre of the image, is a decanter holding the wine and, in front of the decanter is the cork and a corkscrew. To the right side of the image is an empty crystal wide bodied wine glass waiting for the wine in the decanter.

Completed the #Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Not well. But I did it! Now I’m rewarding myself with a local blended red that’s absolutely brilliant. Icellars! #Wine #Marathon #Running #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning

Four runners posing for a selfie at the finish line after a race.

Ran the #Toronto Waterfront 5K as a shakeout for tomorrow’s #marathon. Maybe I pushed too hard? We’ll see. Ran it in 22:50 & placed 5th in the M60-64 category. Ran it with other members of the Orpheus Choir of Toronto. #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning

A tapir in profile with a black head and limbs and pale body.

People go on about the importance of the tapir leading up to race day, which is all well and good except pets aren’t allowed in my building. #MarathonTraining #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky

Thanks - one of the many practical benefits of a classical education is it helps you poke fun at conspiracy cranks.

Two feet in trainers standing on a rock painted red with a white line drawing of a face and the words “I see you.”

A map of Toronto’s Don Valley and an orange line showing a running route. The map is overlaid with running stats and the words, “Keeping Limbs Limber & Feet Fleeter.”

I See You - ambiguous words I stumbled on in Toronto’s Cottonwood Flats. They could be taken as a statement of surveillance, or of empathy. You can’t control how others choose to see you, but you can control how you choose to see others. #graffiti #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning #Toronto

At least someone took those right wing wackos seriously.

A yellow poster promoting a COVID conspiracy theory web site rests against a rock while behind it stands an abandoned bicycle. The image comes from the poster’s Strava account and so is overlaid with running stats and the words, “The Ylied - the Welsh translation of Homer’s epic poem.”

The Ylied - the Welsh translation of Homer’s epic poem (about a runner whose GPS malfunctioned while he was on a trail run back from Troy). #Running #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning

A view from Chester Hill Lookout overlooking Toronto’s Don Valley with the Don Valley Parkway in the foreground, a train trestle and the Evergreen Brick Works in the middle distance, and beyond that trees of Mud Creek and Governor’s Hill. The sky is overcast and filled with dramatic looking clouds. Because this image comes from the poster’s Strava account, it’s overlaid with running stats and the words, “Fun With Hills.”

A morning run up and down a few hills with a pause at Chester Hill Lookout for a view to the northwest over #Toronto the #DonValley & Evergreen Brick Works. Overcast with dramatic clouds but perfect conditions for #Running #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning

It’s a 3-tier thing:
1. Ecstatic - 3:50 or better which a BQ for my age category;
2. Happy - under 4 hrs
3. Satisfied - I finish the damned thing.

Thanks!

A combination lock hangs from a chain link fence overlooking twin sets of railway tracks passing underneath. To the left and running parallel to the tracks are high power transmission lines suspended from tall metal pylons. The image comes from the poster’s Strava account and so is overlaid with running stats and the words, “Short Long Run (or Long Short Run).”

Final long(ish) run before next weekend’s #Toronto Waterfront #Marathon just going easy to the end of the Kay Gardner Beltline Trail & back. #LongRun #MarathonTraining #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning

I like the story of how Ed Mirvish turned away a troupe of Boy Scouts because they didn’t meet his dress code.

An orange vertical sign on a 6 by 6 wooden post saying, “Cottonwood Flats.” The sign is set to the side of a path amidst trees and low growth. The image comes from the poster’s Strava account and so is overlaid with running stats and the words, “Lunch Run to Cottonwood Flats.”

Cottonwood Flats! The city of #Toronto has installed a new sign. So now I know where I am whenever I run here. How did I ever manage before? #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning #MarathonTraining

Ran over a wasp hive and got multiple stings on my back, arms, glutes & calves.

Um it’s in the title of the novel 😄

Strava weighs U.S. IPO, invites banks to pitch for roles - Canadian Cycling Magazine Fitness tracking platform valued at $2.2 billion in May funding round could go public as early as 2026

Somehow I missed the news of a rumoured #Strava IPO. Not sure whether this will give it the resources it needs to expand its services or will turn out to be one more instance in the enshittification of everything. But a $2.2 bn valuation? Holy moly.