I got to hang out with a couple of Sicilian-born barber brothers this week. Joe Maccagnano, centre, trims long-time customer Siegfried Grundler's hair while his younger brother Gino attends to another customer at their shop at 319 Burnhamthorpe Rd. The men are retiring on Dec. 31, after working together in Etobicoke for more than 50 years. (Dec. 13, 2011)

Picking up my weekly pay package

Just a regular payday for a regular photojournalist.
Joking! This is a police display of some of the contraband snagged during Operation Marvel, the largest joint-force take down of organized crime in Canadian history. They also showed us handguns and rifles, picked up as they made 6o arrests across the county. (Copyright Mary Gaudet/Toronto Community News. Dec. 14, 2011)

This was a strange one. I was taking photos of an angry guy beeping his horn and getting really worked up about the striking workers at Humber College. He clearly didn't want to be photographed. But when I told him I was shooting for the paper and asked his name, he gave it to me. What?! This isn't the shot we ran.

TORONTO - Harvir Singh loses his patience while trying to pick up a friend at Humber College's northern campus, while striking Humber College employment advisor Jennifer Ahmed tries to explain their demands. College support staff with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union College across Ontario are striking for wages, benefits, and job security, with an information picket snarling traffic and causing delays of over an hour on the first day back to class. (Mary Gaudet/Metroland TCN)

TORONTO - Comedian Ali Hassan takes a break from his busy schedule, which includes two films screening at TIFF and a week old baby. A recent transplant from Montreal, Hassan has roles in the upcoming Breakaway, Goon, and French Immersion, opening in theatres on the Thanksgiving weekend. (Mary Gaudet/Metroland TCN)

City councillor Doug Ford said he would be willing to shut the Northern Elms branch of the Toronto Public Library in Rexdale to cut costs. Cousins Samantha Salter, 6, and Jacob Hurley, 4, tested the "stickiness" of water at the branch through the Mad Science program. (Mary Gaudet/Metroland TCN)

Synchronized swimmer Caroline Marshall, left, describes a move to Clare McGovern and Claire Caskey at the Etobicoke Olympium pool, during the last practice for the 13 to 15 year-old national team before competing in Italy. The Toronto trio are among 10 girls from across the country to make the cut. (Mary Gaudet/Metroland TCN)

Courage Canada

Mark DeMontis, founder of Courage Canada, prepares for his fundraising skate from Halifax to Toronto on the Lakeshore Trail Wednesday. Blinded at 17, DeMontis continues to pursue his passion for hockey, and through his charity helps other adults and youth with visual impairments get skating. (Mary Gaudet/Metroland TCN)