Church Street Cafe
March 5, 2006 | 2:30 p.m.

Believe it or not, this photo was not staged. I was having brunch with my friends Joe and Julie at a restaurant in Toronto's gay village when Julie snapped this shot of me cooling my coffee.

We had just been to the Hudson's Bay Company at Yonge and Bloor Streets, where I picked up the silly, furry Canadian Olympic hat that I was showing off that afternoon. It was a beautiful, warm day, but I insisted on wearing my hat. I got only a few glares from passersby; most people who noticed the hat simply walked by and seemed to laugh under their breath.