Mark Kisswell

Last night I went to the summer launch for This Magazine’s Love and Hate issue, held at the Cadillac Lounge in trucker-hat-trendy but still-not-quite-gentrified Parkdale.

The party occurred on a large patio in the back of the bar, which I had heard about, but never enjoyed personally. It was spacious, which was good, because the place was packed.

Once there, I made a beeline for the kissing booth, staffed by philosophy sexpot Mark Kingwell, along with This mag’s "ladies of the left" (a phrase coined by Andrew Potter, if I’m not mistaken, who wanted to create a calendar of the same name). I paid Kingwell – author of a bunch of books, including the upcoming fish philosophy tome Catch and Release -- $2 and got a big smack on the right cheek.

Why?

So I had something to blog about today.

Honest.

Also, it was for a good cause, as they say – This magazine can always use some extra coin.

My girlfriend seemed more comfortable with me getting action from Kingwell than a kissing booth staff member of the of the opposite sex. Not that I didn’t have other options. There was also an Advice for the Lovelorn Booth, manned by art critic and local gadabout RM Vaughan, and an Insult Shack courtesy of Hal Niedzviecki. Vaughan provides me with free advice often and Hal has been equally good about slagging me gratis. But Kingwell has been strangely reticent in the puckering department, so I thought, Hey! Why not?

For the record, the kiss lasted a few seconds (three, tops) and was accompanied by a one armed hug/draw the person closer maneuver. I deem it worthy of the $2 spent.