Zombieology 101


 Posted on October 24th, 2010

Heavens! Has it been a year already?

Yup, season’s fully turning now; a fantastic, cold, autumn fog is rolling over the evening city as I write this; leaves are half-shorn and fully gilded; sun’s setting at around 6, to me the most obvious time for evening to start; squirrel’s are getting pudgy; zombies are back on Toronto streets.

zombie walk 2010, autumn, halloween, toronto, city, life

The annual walk is now getting between 5,000 to 6,000 zombies and they were tagged as participants for the first time this year. Before this it was just first-come-first-brains.

It was still a pretty casual, slow-moving and cumbersome affair so the new formality was mostly pointless. Toward the end, all sorts of individuals were joining in unhindered.

zombie walk 2010, autumn, halloween, toronto, city, life

But mostly it was non-celebrity zombies.

The walk started in Trinity-Bellwoods Park but unlike last year terminus at Bathurst Subway Station, it continued west on Dundas toward Christie Pits — quite a ways to be dragging the old carcass around without any refreshments.

zombie walk 2010, autumn, halloween, toronto, city, life

As usual, the route wound through Kensington Market where the group met with some resistance.

zombie walk 2010, autumn, halloween, toronto, city, life

Generally, however, the people of Toronto were welcoming to the undead; you’d be surprised how many (in)famous people have joined their ranks!

zombie walk 2010, autumn, halloween, toronto, city, life

Perhaps even more significant is the number of normals that swelled the crowd this year. You know, your standard workaday brainless slob.

zombie walk 2010, autumn, halloween, toronto, city, life

I make no pretense of understanding the aim of this march. Every year it’s the same rallying cry: “What do we want?! Brains!! When do we want ’em?! Brains!!”

zombie walk 2010, autumn, halloween, toronto, city, life

Interacting with the zombies is generally pointless. Unless you’ve got a meaty cerebellum on you, it’s really tough to get their attention. And then, of course, they never look you in the eye when you’re having a conversation anyway, do they?

zombie walk 2010, autumn, halloween, toronto, city, life

Continued in next part…

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