Meeting Sarah for a drink was like completing some sort of Toronto Bermuda triangle. I’d been hearing about this girl for so many years that it literally blew my mind to find out she lives across the street from me. Like, literally. She hadn’t always of course.Years ago she used to be roommates with Drink #15 which was I guess the beginning of the triangle.

I love knowing someone on my street. I makes me feel like Toronto is truly my home, not just where I’ve been living for the last 13 years. It reminds me of childhood, of neighbourhood community. I love that people walking by know the names of my pets and comment on the progress of my garden.

So it was fitting that we met at the bar around the corner. She is the only patron who could possibly live any closer than me. We talked with our friendly neighbourhood bar owner (Drink #1) about community developments and the future of our block. Sarah is a writer/ journalist who knows more about these matters than I do so I ask a lot of questions. We actually talked at length about the art of interviewing. I don’t do it so much anymore but I went through many years of talking to celebs of all sizes about whatever they were around spewing. I don’t know if I was particularly good at it but I think asking questions is a very valuable life skill no matter who you are talking to - second only to actually listening to what people are telling you. I currently work with one of the best interviewers out there and I’m so intrigued by the process. When done right, a subject opens up like they’re lying on their therapist’s couch, probably regretting everything they say later. Oh well!

When we left the bar, Sarah came home with me to pick up my spare key so she could check in on my sick cat during the week. Now that’s a good neighbour.