There is nothing quite as mesmerizing as gazing down at the vibrant night city from quiet heights in the center of Toronto's business district. The vantage point from King and Yonge astounds me; not because of its frenzy, but because of its silent lull.

Our homes need to rejuvenate and soothe and energize us - exactly the contradictions that make up everyone's lives these days. But how to do all that without scads of cash? Our city has become infamous for its high rents and unsympathetic landlords, so it's encouraging to know there are still a few deals out there.

Rachel found her amazing rental on Craigslist two years ago, and it was only the third place she looked at. "I knew I wanted to be in this neighbourhood because my son was already in school nearby," she explains.

This Thursday, Parkdale will have a new addition to the ongoing extension of the art circuit with the opening of Barbershop Gallery, located at 1718 Queen St. W (near Roncesvalles).

Parishil is a boutique design studio based in Toronto and led by creative duo Alain Parizeau and Adam Hilborn - easily one of my favourites in town.

When the Library Voices came to Toronto last week for their gig at the Bovine Sex Club I knew that I had to be careful. When I was scheduled to meet the band at Shanghai Cowgirl on Queen St., I knew that I needed to be assertive and clear about what I wanted. So, when I was asked how many people in the band I wanted to speak with I nearly shouted:

"Just one please!"

The thought of having to interview ten people was too overwhelming for me. Too many voices -too many Library Voices. But then again, the image of ten people, in one band, on one tour, confined to one bus as they drive across Canada... that's like a Survivor challenge. That is commitment!

So, a couple hours before they were set to play with Provincial Parks, I was given Eoin Hickey-Cameron, the bass player in this large ensemble.

I remember the first time I read about a new instrumental project East Coast musician Brian Borcherdt started called Holy Fuck. I knew him from being a guitar player in By Divine Right around that time and I had accidentally seen him perform as The Remains of Brian Borcherdt once at the Horseshoe and liked what I heard. But when I finally saw Holy Fuck perform live - I was an instant Brian Borcherdt fan for life.

Brian's long road to success was recently documented on CBC Radio 3's Podcast #181. The dude's done a lot of cool stuff. Check it out.

His new solo record is called Coyotes. Some call it "haunting". Some call it "haunted". It's a very quiet and stripped down record produced by Jose Contreras (By Divine Right) in Jose's living room. It's out on artist James Mejia's new label Hand-Drawn Dracula.

Brian plays the Danforth Music Hall on December 6 as part of a nation-wide tour supporting Martha Wainwright. I spoke to Brian about his new record, touring without an iPod and living out of boxes in a basement.

Yoga studios may be ubiquitous in Toronto these days, prompting many to perceive the practice as a hot trend, but yoga has actually existed for thousands of years. Originating from India before eventually taking hold in North America, yoga has a culture that constitutes a varied mix of activism, commercialism, fitness and spirituality, and is an integral activity for an urban population seeking exercise that goes beyond the often empty and soulless confines of a traditional gym.