Normally the Junction is a little out of my range for a school night but I was looking forward to some good home cookin’ at the Troubadour. Imagine my disappointment when I saw the “Sorry We are Closed” sign.  Anyway, quick thinking hare Moonman saved the day by sniffing out an adequate replacement across the street at Axis. That was fine but I was a little worried when he said he’d managed to set the entire trail using only an inch of chalk. Yikes.

It turned out to be a nice sized crowd on a hot August night. Some of the notables present included a well tanned Shadow, world traveller Wet Pussy, keener newbie Just Rein, long lost Oui Oui and a small group of walking dead including New Shoez who’d spent the weekend in Nittany Valley. Even Zig Zag managed to make a rare weeknight appearance. In fact he beat ill informed Rose Eh who unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) almost missed another hash. For the record the website is www.hogtownh3.com and the hash hotline is 416 686-1674. Most weeks one or the other of them will get updated. Some weeks we might have a posting on our Yahoo Group (and perhaps get a useful reminder from our calendar) and sometimes we might get an email from our free range On Sec, when she isn’t off gallivanting around the world. For some this still isn’t enough so Humpday is building a Skinner box and is training carrier pigeons to deliver a personal message to each and every Hogtown hasher.  Only problem is the pigeons have developed a taste for beer and often end up in Nathan Phillips Square crapping on statues, singing rude pigeon songs, taunting security and barfing on Japanese tourists. I digress...

Out on Dundas West the motley crew circled up for chalk talk. After instructions from the hare and introductions the pack took off... in the wrong direction. Eventually the hare called the mob back and pointed them down some dodgy back alley.

I don’t remember much from the trail. Truth be told I was hopelessly lost... again. Last thing I remember was chasing a Kiev H3 t-shirt down Clendenan and wondering if it was radiation from Chernobyl that made Phone Sex so fricken fast. Also somewhere along the way I passed Back Door Buzz and Cougar who I believe were discussing the use of DVDA in adult films.

Eventually I crossed the big honking footbridge over the tracks and ran along the CN right of way until an arrow at Dupont and Dundas pointed the way to the beer stop. For only the second time I don’t recall the name of the bar but, after Humpday (aka Sweat Angel) left, they could rename it The Swamp. The puddle of perspiration under Humpday’s chair was sooo large that an amazed Just Rein noted that there were frogs and ducks splashing in it!

Walking back to Axis, Casket Case explained that he had to split as he was expecting to be visited by Martians. Uh okay, whatever.

After ordering drinks, circle was held with down downs going to the hare, back sliders, and world travellers. Others included BDB and Cougar for taking the bunny trail, Phone Sex for channelling the fleet of foot Flyer, and Shampoo for keeping Moist Leatherette tied to the bed (or was it the rafters in the monster garage?).

RA Rose Eh singled out a number of gents for prick of the week including Birdbrian for being a lousy navigator, Zig Zag for arriving at the hash before her and Shadow for make a pit stop on trail. With formalities finished the half minds ordered some food and beverages from the frazzled Axis staff.

Sometime later the emboldened stragglers headed out to Dundas Street to play chicken with a TTC bus.  Well not exactly chicken but Shadow, BDB, Birdbrian and I were running down the street trying to catch the scarce Junction 40 and just when it looked that we were gonna miss it the driver stopped. When we got on he was laughing saying we had lousy running form. Thanks wiseacre... we already knew that.