The End
Apr 27, 2006
Does it never end? I thought I would have a week to myself without any classes or exams to worry about.
My last exam -> This Saturday night.
The start of the summer class -> Three days later on the Tuesday.
*sob*
My last exam -> This Saturday night.
The start of the summer class -> Three days later on the Tuesday.
*sob*
Attack of the Red-Winged Blackbird - Part 2
There are so many things I wish to write about but didn't have the time yesterday but perhaps I'll start off with a little story of our friend Agelaius phoeniceus.
I was thinking that I had the bird beat a few days ago when I decided to move my car eight spots farther down the parking lot to avoid Agelaius. I pull into the parking lot space #8 while listening to some morning news, minding my own business when I put it into park and am about to hop out when I freeze.
"Where is Agelaius?" I ponder.
I scope out the territory and don't see Agelaius anywhere so I think I am safe. It is raining out there so perhaps birds lay low for the time being. I reflect on the fact that I don't really know a lot about birds at this point in my life and wonder if I am missing out not being a bird watcher. My own mother emailed me the other day and indicated that it is not a morning dove, but a mourning dove. Funny how the spelling of a word can bring such a happy picture of a bird to a tragic one.
I exit the vehicle seeing that the bus is waiting at the stop and it has been known to pull away at the last moment. I have 50 meters of pavement to dash across so I close my door and look around. I'm safe! Agelaius is not to be seen!
At the half way mark I am feeling pretty good until I hear the shrill cry of the Banshee. In other's ears, they hear "Tweet, tweeeet!". In mine I hear "You thought I was gone. I have returned. I will wreak havoc on your vehicle."
In fear, I turn suddenly to find out where my arch enemy is to find that he is hopping and shitting along someone else's car. Excellent. Perhaps he will be amused for the entire day with this other person's vehicle, although I now wonder if I should leave a note on their car indicating that I wish to create a task force (perhaps Delta Force?) to take care of this problem.
All was well when I got back to my car that night to find it had rained on it all day long and most of the crap on the car that I had failed to wipe off was gone.
Fast forward to this morning, I am feeling like a new man. I still decide to pull into Parking Spot #8 (a few meters away from my old spot, but all that more to run to the bus with) and am feeling good. The sun is shining, I hear Bluesfest is coming to town (holy crap, I just read Dose on the bus this morning and found out that Matt Mays and Sam Roberts are playing together. I am in heaven.), and life is good (other than the exam I have to write on Saturday night). I hop out of the car.
"Hey buddy, how's it going?" I hear.
I peer to my right and there he is. The bane of my existence. Agelaius up in a tree. I look around. There are no other cars in this section because I came in a little early this morning.
"Oh no." I think. What do I do?
The bus pulls up and I have 45 meters to cover. Do I go back to the car and park it on the far side of the lot? That will mean I have to wait 10 minutes for the next bus. But I will have peace of mind when I think of the bird shit and the bird clawing away at my paint job. In a rash decision I run to the bus thinking that Agelaius will find other cars closer to his tree to bother today.
But I still felt the pain when Agelaius swooped in towards my car and started to hop around the side mirror so it could see its reflection in my window. You've won this time Agelaius...but the war is not over.
I was thinking that I had the bird beat a few days ago when I decided to move my car eight spots farther down the parking lot to avoid Agelaius. I pull into the parking lot space #8 while listening to some morning news, minding my own business when I put it into park and am about to hop out when I freeze.
"Where is Agelaius?" I ponder.
I scope out the territory and don't see Agelaius anywhere so I think I am safe. It is raining out there so perhaps birds lay low for the time being. I reflect on the fact that I don't really know a lot about birds at this point in my life and wonder if I am missing out not being a bird watcher. My own mother emailed me the other day and indicated that it is not a morning dove, but a mourning dove. Funny how the spelling of a word can bring such a happy picture of a bird to a tragic one.
I exit the vehicle seeing that the bus is waiting at the stop and it has been known to pull away at the last moment. I have 50 meters of pavement to dash across so I close my door and look around. I'm safe! Agelaius is not to be seen!
At the half way mark I am feeling pretty good until I hear the shrill cry of the Banshee. In other's ears, they hear "Tweet, tweeeet!". In mine I hear "You thought I was gone. I have returned. I will wreak havoc on your vehicle."
In fear, I turn suddenly to find out where my arch enemy is to find that he is hopping and shitting along someone else's car. Excellent. Perhaps he will be amused for the entire day with this other person's vehicle, although I now wonder if I should leave a note on their car indicating that I wish to create a task force (perhaps Delta Force?) to take care of this problem.
All was well when I got back to my car that night to find it had rained on it all day long and most of the crap on the car that I had failed to wipe off was gone.
Fast forward to this morning, I am feeling like a new man. I still decide to pull into Parking Spot #8 (a few meters away from my old spot, but all that more to run to the bus with) and am feeling good. The sun is shining, I hear Bluesfest is coming to town (holy crap, I just read Dose on the bus this morning and found out that Matt Mays and Sam Roberts are playing together. I am in heaven.), and life is good (other than the exam I have to write on Saturday night). I hop out of the car.
"Hey buddy, how's it going?" I hear.
I peer to my right and there he is. The bane of my existence. Agelaius up in a tree. I look around. There are no other cars in this section because I came in a little early this morning.
"Oh no." I think. What do I do?
The bus pulls up and I have 45 meters to cover. Do I go back to the car and park it on the far side of the lot? That will mean I have to wait 10 minutes for the next bus. But I will have peace of mind when I think of the bird shit and the bird clawing away at my paint job. In a rash decision I run to the bus thinking that Agelaius will find other cars closer to his tree to bother today.
But I still felt the pain when Agelaius swooped in towards my car and started to hop around the side mirror so it could see its reflection in my window. You've won this time Agelaius...but the war is not over.
Review: The Island
Apr 25, 2006
I'm just full of reviews today so I'll keep on going. I mean to always review every piece of new media that gets into my hands but it's surprising how much media that actually entails!Last night, Mike and I felt like grabbing a movie so we headed over to Blockbuster and scanned the Previously-Viewed Movies section.
Here's where I go on a tangent in saying that I rarely rent movies any longer, I go ahead and buy the previously viewed ones. Especially the ones under $9.99. For example, we bought 2 movies for $17 + tax which comes out to $19.55. Voila. Instead of renting a movie for...$5.75 (help me out here people...cannot recall how much a rental costs), I can go ahead and just purchase it for a few dollars more, which allows me to lend out the movie to my good friends (read: If you want The Island, come and get it.)
I haven't bothered pawning off some of the lamer ones that I've bought on a whim, but I'm sure I could get at least $5 for a DVD.
Anyhow, back to my story about The Island.
Oh man, we loved this movie. It kicked serious ass. It had a sci-fi story within a mega action movie. I am a fan of the sci-fi but let me tell you that it isn't hardcore sci-fi so don't worry about that stuff...just watch it for a cool story and super, super action sequences. We're talking "OH man, they didn't just do that, oh, OH!" action sequences where a guy gets a freakin' crowbar to the face and you're thinking "Ouch."
You know, sometimes I want to say a lot about a movie, but then I don't want to ruin anything about it so I don't bother saying anything. Just like now. The only thing I will leave you with is...best.movie.ever.
Ha ha, all kidding aside here, Scarlett Johanssen. *meow*
I give it three thumbs up. I really think this was the movie that got away from me in 2005. Why did I not know about this movie? It's like no one has ever told me about it! I take that back...I can't remember who (Eric?) mentioned it a few weeks ago, but they were the ones who planted the seed in my head to go check this movie out.
Dad, I know you're reading this - make this your next movie to rent. Although, we know it's the summer so no movie rentals will happen until the winter.
Review: Timecode
I forgot that before we watched Deliverance on Saturday, Mike, Eric and I watched a movie called Timecode as recommended by Benoit.Timecode's story revolves around a bunch of people working at a production studio and there's a whole plot about people cheating on one another.
Storywise, not the most original or intriguing storyline, but that's not the best part of the movie.
The movie is filmed in real time, with four different cameras. Your screen is divided up into four quadrants so that you can see each of the four cameras. At first, the story focusses on different people and different settings, but as the movie goes forward, some characters/scenes interact with the other, which basically gives you two, three, four different angles to one shot.
The movie was a little hard to follow in that they still have people talking in one scene while another is talking. They mix the audio so the one you should be paying attention to has higher volume but at some points I was thinking "Wait, who's talking? What quadrant should I be watching?"
Plus, it didn't help any when Salma Hayek starts having sex with one guy and then all of us kind of missed what was going on in the other three quadrants. ;-) Ha ha.
All in all, I would like to say that this movie is worth seeing just for the method they filmed it in. Supposedly the took 15 takes to get the final version - keep in mind that the film revolves around a very roughed in storyline - the rest of it involves the actors/actresses improvisationaling their roles...they even include Version 1 on the DVD so you can see how much was different.
If you don't mind watching a movie with a 'so-so' storyline and are more interested in the concept behind it, I suggest you check out Timecode.
Also, a special 'sorry' goes out to Vero seeing as she wanted to watch it but we (I) went ahead and watched it without her. I'm sorry and that won't happen again.
Review: Deliverance
The year: 1972.The movie: Deliverance.
I remember first hearing about Deliverance when my dad downloaded the theme song which is Dueling Banjos. I never thought about actually watching the movie since I was thinking it was a western.
This weekend Eric said he had bought the movie so we popped it in.
This movie was excelent, albeit a little freaky. It revolves around 4 men on a canoe trip (Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox) and something awful, AWFUL happens to them on the canoe trip (I won't spoil it for anyone. I wonder if I should since the movie is freakin' old) and then the rest of movie shows how each man deals with the stress which comes from what happened. We're not talking about someone losing their canoe or anything. Let's just say you wouldn't want your enemy to go through the same fate.
Anyhow, I enjoyed the movie, although I was freaked out in certain parts since I have this weird thing about lake water in which I always think I'm going to rub up against something in the water which shouldn't be there...so the movie freaked me out in a few parts.
All in all, you should definitely spend the $10 and pick this up at your local Future Shop. Two thumbs up.
I enjoy the older movies where they were less about special effects and more about the story and character development/analysis. They got into the brains of individuals.
Check it out.
Pros and Cons to Exam Studying
Apr 24, 2006
Pros:
- The feeling you get when you think you're ready.
- Missing the Jeff Martin concert.
- Missing the Jeff Martin concert with surprise guest Oliver Black opening up. (insert Darth Vader's 'Nooooooo!' yell from Episode III here)
- Finding out that 85% of the questions on the exam were the same ones in the three test the Prof had in class.
- Realizing that you definitely aced the exam...but you could have made it out to the concert.
- Never stop rocking. Go to the concerts no matter what or a magical night will escape you.
Review: Sam Roberts Band - Capital Music Hall April 21
Apr 23, 2006
How do I start this review of the Sam Roberts Band from Friday night?
Well, perhaps I can steal a little title from the band's posting about the show: 5 Alarm Show.
We showed up to the Capital Music Hall in time to check out the merchandise and grab a few beers. We positioned ourselves on the left of the stage near the Smirnoff Ice cooler. I don't really like hanging to anywhere other than the center of the stage due to liking how the show sounds from that vantage, but I was pleasantly surprised after the first band came on and it wasn't a bad spot at all.
Malajube was pretty cool actually. I had never heard of them, and now I knew why. They were a Francophone band from Montreal! I've never seen a French band open for an English one...I enjoyed them and my other co-horts in crime did also. It was hilarious how the singer threw on a monkey mask for the last half of the set. At first I thought they had a beaver on one of their amps! They definitely didn't have much room on the stage as one of the guitarists was stuck behind one amp. Anyhow, I would definitely recommend checking these guys out. Catchy tunes.
Judging from the hockey playoffs, we figured we wouldn't see Sammy and les boys anytime before 10:15. Sure enough, around 10:20, they show up and start off with Mystified, Heavy and Taj Mahal and then get into Dead End. I would have preffered if they opened up with a rocking tune, but they were decent enough. Near the end of Dead End, the sound went out on the PA speakers so we couldn't hear the vocals at all. When I say 'at all', I mean they were just really muffled with the rest of the mix coming from the amps. At the end of Dead End, we realized the fire alarm was going off and the band was wondering what the heck was going on. Judging from the post on their site, the smoke machine set the alarms off (which is ridiculous in my thoughts...what kind of venue is this? Oh, New Capital Musical Hall, you have a long way to come.) The band said some words which I couldn't catch, but they had decided to go on with the show. This wouldn't have been too bad if the PA system had been on, but it was not so the band were just full out amps on stage. I suggested to my friends that someone pass them a note asking them to crank it to '11'. ;-)
The Gate, Hard Road, and The Resistance all lacked the oomph but near the end I realized that the band was giving it their all and that I shouldn't let a simple thing like a PA system bring my mood down. I gave it my all and the rock gods graced us with the PA system again once The Bootleg Saint started. Also, the roadies wisened to the dilemna and duct taped a towel over the fire alarm bell right next to the stage. Kudos their thinking. Doesn't look like the venue staff were thinking about much at all.
You can see the rest of the setlist attached. Mind Flood was amazing. Brother Down was amazing. That's how you get the crowd going. Oh man...everything was amazing.
Encore #1 brought out the acoustic for Uprising Down Under and then they ripped into Eileen and Rarefied. Excellent tracks.
By this time I had moved up near the stage into the middle just to get a little more into the show. I would like to think that the crowd had something to do with the second encore happening, cause they were great. I'm not generally impressed by the Ottawa crowds, but I thought they were worthy near the end.
They came out for Bridge to Nowhere (which seems to not be their choice checking out the setlist) which was great. They left the stage and all was good.
During the show, there were chants for James which was great since it was his first show back after surgery. Sammy said a few words about his return which was a nice touch.
All in all, I enjoyed the show once I got past the PA system going down (which was REALLY bringing me down for a song or two).
I passed on the tour shirts this time around as I can't say that I really care for them. I picked up a sticker for my guitar case with the album artwork of Chemical City when I went outside.
OH! Almost forgot the best part. My girlfriend managed to snag a setlist for me which at one point I had reached for out of her hand and it ripped since it was all soggy (must be the beer!). Ah well. Also looks like Mystified, Heavy was underneath the duct tape that was holding it down and got ripped off. She also managed to get a guitar pick.
All I can ask for is that someone magically taped this concert (which is doubtful. Doesn't seem like there is a taper movement in Ottawa).
Hope everyone has a good show when they catch them on this tour!
Well, perhaps I can steal a little title from the band's posting about the show: 5 Alarm Show.
We showed up to the Capital Music Hall in time to check out the merchandise and grab a few beers. We positioned ourselves on the left of the stage near the Smirnoff Ice cooler. I don't really like hanging to anywhere other than the center of the stage due to liking how the show sounds from that vantage, but I was pleasantly surprised after the first band came on and it wasn't a bad spot at all.
Malajube was pretty cool actually. I had never heard of them, and now I knew why. They were a Francophone band from Montreal! I've never seen a French band open for an English one...I enjoyed them and my other co-horts in crime did also. It was hilarious how the singer threw on a monkey mask for the last half of the set. At first I thought they had a beaver on one of their amps! They definitely didn't have much room on the stage as one of the guitarists was stuck behind one amp. Anyhow, I would definitely recommend checking these guys out. Catchy tunes.
Judging from the hockey playoffs, we figured we wouldn't see Sammy and les boys anytime before 10:15. Sure enough, around 10:20, they show up and start off with Mystified, Heavy and Taj Mahal and then get into Dead End. I would have preffered if they opened up with a rocking tune, but they were decent enough. Near the end of Dead End, the sound went out on the PA speakers so we couldn't hear the vocals at all. When I say 'at all', I mean they were just really muffled with the rest of the mix coming from the amps. At the end of Dead End, we realized the fire alarm was going off and the band was wondering what the heck was going on. Judging from the post on their site, the smoke machine set the alarms off (which is ridiculous in my thoughts...what kind of venue is this? Oh, New Capital Musical Hall, you have a long way to come.) The band said some words which I couldn't catch, but they had decided to go on with the show. This wouldn't have been too bad if the PA system had been on, but it was not so the band were just full out amps on stage. I suggested to my friends that someone pass them a note asking them to crank it to '11'. ;-)
The Gate, Hard Road, and The Resistance all lacked the oomph but near the end I realized that the band was giving it their all and that I shouldn't let a simple thing like a PA system bring my mood down. I gave it my all and the rock gods graced us with the PA system again once The Bootleg Saint started. Also, the roadies wisened to the dilemna and duct taped a towel over the fire alarm bell right next to the stage. Kudos their thinking. Doesn't look like the venue staff were thinking about much at all.
You can see the rest of the setlist attached. Mind Flood was amazing. Brother Down was amazing. That's how you get the crowd going. Oh man...everything was amazing.
Encore #1 brought out the acoustic for Uprising Down Under and then they ripped into Eileen and Rarefied. Excellent tracks.
By this time I had moved up near the stage into the middle just to get a little more into the show. I would like to think that the crowd had something to do with the second encore happening, cause they were great. I'm not generally impressed by the Ottawa crowds, but I thought they were worthy near the end.
They came out for Bridge to Nowhere (which seems to not be their choice checking out the setlist) which was great. They left the stage and all was good.
During the show, there were chants for James which was great since it was his first show back after surgery. Sammy said a few words about his return which was a nice touch.
All in all, I enjoyed the show once I got past the PA system going down (which was REALLY bringing me down for a song or two).
I passed on the tour shirts this time around as I can't say that I really care for them. I picked up a sticker for my guitar case with the album artwork of Chemical City when I went outside.
OH! Almost forgot the best part. My girlfriend managed to snag a setlist for me which at one point I had reached for out of her hand and it ripped since it was all soggy (must be the beer!). Ah well. Also looks like Mystified, Heavy was underneath the duct tape that was holding it down and got ripped off. She also managed to get a guitar pick.
All I can ask for is that someone magically taped this concert (which is doubtful. Doesn't seem like there is a taper movement in Ottawa).
Hope everyone has a good show when they catch them on this tour!
Tulip Festival 2006
Apr 20, 2006
http://www.tulipfestival.ca/en/Concerts/Check out the concerts coming to town for the Tulip Festival!
I will be out on May 12 to see the Novaks and the Trews if anyone wants to join.
As for the rest of the lineup..can't say I'm overly interested. I think I shall just pick up an evening pass for this Tulip Festival.
I also don't care how they put all the musical acts during the weekend...ESPECIALLY during the long weekend in May. We all know that's not a time to hang around inside the city. ;-)
My Battle with the Red-Winged Blackbird
More commonly known as the Agelaius phoeniceus (who am I kidding...who uses these words?), this little fellow has been hopping to and from the cars in the park and ride lot for the past few weeks.At first, I thought "Hey, that's pretty neat. A bird who actually hops around on the mirrors and hoods of a car. It looks like it's trying to get its reflection!" This bird doesn't even bother flying around. Perhaps it is wounded somewhat?
Then when the bus pulled out today and I looked back at my car, I noticed the bird had moved to my car and then I realized this is where all this bird shit is coming from every day on my car.
Red-winged blackbird, you're going down! I'm thinking of putting some glue on the mirrors.
In other bird news, Mom was saying how she heard some morning doves near my house when she up here...turns out there is a morning dove nest right next to the neighbour's door. The bird stays there constantly as it is protecting its eggs. Craziness. I live in a zoo!
At least the rabbits seem to have disappeared...
Accupuncture
Apr 19, 2006
I was talking with a woman at work today and she was talking about allergies and how traditional medicine never helped her son out with his allergies, but someone mentioned they should try an accupuncturist.
She was not a believer in the alternative medicines, but she gave it a shot, and it worked.
Her son also had migraines so bad that he would faint and all the doctors in the area could not figure out how to cure it. They tried medicine after medicine after medicine. She went to the accupuncturist and after ten visits with him, he was cured. No migraines anymore.
She also has a daughter who was allergic to cats and after going to accupuncture, she now has two cats.
She had awful pains in her feet at one point in her life and went to the accupuncturist. Afterwards, no pain.
You all know me and medicine...I stay away from it. But I know there are a lot of you out there that suffer from allergies, migraines, etc.
I can say that after hearing these stories, I am more open to trying alternative medicines like accupuncture. They sound pretty wild.
She was a sceptic when she first went and let them know it. All they said was if it doesn't cure them, they can have their money back. You have to know it's going to work if you're going to give a guarantee like that!
So, to all those out there reading this and have something that has been bothering them and the traditional doctors can't cure it...try your hand at alternative medicines.
She was not a believer in the alternative medicines, but she gave it a shot, and it worked.
Her son also had migraines so bad that he would faint and all the doctors in the area could not figure out how to cure it. They tried medicine after medicine after medicine. She went to the accupuncturist and after ten visits with him, he was cured. No migraines anymore.
She also has a daughter who was allergic to cats and after going to accupuncture, she now has two cats.
She had awful pains in her feet at one point in her life and went to the accupuncturist. Afterwards, no pain.
You all know me and medicine...I stay away from it. But I know there are a lot of you out there that suffer from allergies, migraines, etc.
I can say that after hearing these stories, I am more open to trying alternative medicines like accupuncture. They sound pretty wild.
She was a sceptic when she first went and let them know it. All they said was if it doesn't cure them, they can have their money back. You have to know it's going to work if you're going to give a guarantee like that!
So, to all those out there reading this and have something that has been bothering them and the traditional doctors can't cure it...try your hand at alternative medicines.
Funny Talks
Apr 18, 2006
Situation: You're at a 75th birthday party for your grandmother.
The people: A mixture of people that are old and young.
The talk:
Prety well everyone over 60 at this party: "Ryan, I haven't seen you since you were this high!" (motions to their knee level)
Ryan: "Oh really."
Then they walk away and I don't even know their name because I was so young that I don't remember.
A message to us all. When you're going to comment that you haven't seen a person since they were 'this' high', do them a favour and tell them your full name, and how you are related to said person. It helps. Otherwise, you just have some blogger out there commenting on all the older people he met on the weekend but don't know who they are.
The people: A mixture of people that are old and young.
The talk:
Prety well everyone over 60 at this party: "Ryan, I haven't seen you since you were this high!" (motions to their knee level)
Ryan: "Oh really."
Then they walk away and I don't even know their name because I was so young that I don't remember.
A message to us all. When you're going to comment that you haven't seen a person since they were 'this' high', do them a favour and tell them your full name, and how you are related to said person. It helps. Otherwise, you just have some blogger out there commenting on all the older people he met on the weekend but don't know who they are.
What I Love about Easter (or any holiday involving turkey)
I love when you see this massive arrangement of food laid out for you and you think "Alright, it's feeding time!"
Then you begin to approach it methodically. Not too many carrots, a little turnips, oh, alright, I'll take two scoops of potatoes. Let's move onto the parsnips, and hey, is that brocolli? Ok, ok, we're getting towards the end, WHOA, coleslaw! I don't need that because right next to it is the STUFFING. MMMM...stuffing. No one will notice if I take two scoops of...ah crap, someone is eyeing up how much stuffing I'm taking. Better just put that extra scoop onto their plate. They'll think I'm nice. Alright, onto the meat. Oh, here's some ham and turkey! Bonus! Oh, no one will mind if I take that one with the skin on it. No one likes skin. Mini-pickles! Yum! A few buns here and there also.
Before you know it, the plate that you were trying to lay out nicely has become a disaster area with some potatoes mixing into the turnips and god knows what that monstrosity over on the far edge of the plate is. It's a cross between brocolli, some sort of baked good and resembles The Blob. Then you top it all with gravy because you can't really find the meat anymore and it just holds it together a little better.
Instead of a nice turkey dinner, you now have Easter Ghoulash on a plate. Top that off with everyone shovelling it in in 3 minutes or less and you have the typical North American turkey dinner. I say North American because I have eaten with some European families and they like these things to spread out over three days. In those cases I feel dumb for shovelling down the plate so I have to get another one just to feel like part of the crowd. Europeans are strange that way. ;-)
I hope everyone had a similar experience when it came to Easter dinner. I know Mel and Mike were having an army over at their place so I can only assume that they also encountered this phenomenon.
I wonder if it would just be easier to actually MAKE a ghoulash for dinner.
Then you begin to approach it methodically. Not too many carrots, a little turnips, oh, alright, I'll take two scoops of potatoes. Let's move onto the parsnips, and hey, is that brocolli? Ok, ok, we're getting towards the end, WHOA, coleslaw! I don't need that because right next to it is the STUFFING. MMMM...stuffing. No one will notice if I take two scoops of...ah crap, someone is eyeing up how much stuffing I'm taking. Better just put that extra scoop onto their plate. They'll think I'm nice. Alright, onto the meat. Oh, here's some ham and turkey! Bonus! Oh, no one will mind if I take that one with the skin on it. No one likes skin. Mini-pickles! Yum! A few buns here and there also.
Before you know it, the plate that you were trying to lay out nicely has become a disaster area with some potatoes mixing into the turnips and god knows what that monstrosity over on the far edge of the plate is. It's a cross between brocolli, some sort of baked good and resembles The Blob. Then you top it all with gravy because you can't really find the meat anymore and it just holds it together a little better.
Instead of a nice turkey dinner, you now have Easter Ghoulash on a plate. Top that off with everyone shovelling it in in 3 minutes or less and you have the typical North American turkey dinner. I say North American because I have eaten with some European families and they like these things to spread out over three days. In those cases I feel dumb for shovelling down the plate so I have to get another one just to feel like part of the crowd. Europeans are strange that way. ;-)
I hope everyone had a similar experience when it came to Easter dinner. I know Mel and Mike were having an army over at their place so I can only assume that they also encountered this phenomenon.
I wonder if it would just be easier to actually MAKE a ghoulash for dinner.
America's Next Muppet
Apr 13, 2006
Special thanks to Paul who pointed out this brilliant show coming out (hopefully?)
http://www.muppetcentral.com/news/2005/090505.shtml
http://www.muppetcentral.com/news/2005/090505.shtml
Sausasges Ahoy!
Apr 12, 2006
Oh my, oh my.It was a BEEEEAUTIFUL day here in Ottawa yesterday so we all know what that means. As soon as I got home, the BBQ came out, and beers were cracked.
I hooked up the BBQ in the backyard (which is our second BBQ at the house courtesy of Mike and Carrie's) and it was all going well until Mike got home and mentioned that he had had problems with it in the past and that flames used to come out from the bottom. I figured I had somehow fixed it until I came back out and the thing was afire near the controls. Swift thinking of my part saved the neighbourhood as I braved my hands getting near the controls to turn it off. I'm making it sound worse than it was. It really wasn't that bad. But I won't be using it until it's fixed.
By the way, there was a half eaten mouse in the yard in front of the BBQ. YUM! I just flung it over the fence at the pizza shop. Hopefully they get a nice topping out of it. Ewww.
Anyhow, my story really revolves around these AMAZING sausages I picked up. These were the ones that are so big, they stick outside the bun. I've only had those from the sausage vendors, not in my own home! I could not get over how good these sausages were. I proclaimed to Mike that I would never buy Johnsonville or any other pre-packaged six inch junk any longer. Go big or go home.
Because I was in such a great mood from the sausages (and let's not forget the new Sam Robert disc I picked up), we called Eric over for an impromptu listening party of the new Jeff Martin album (which is excellent by the way...vintage Tea Party stuff really. Sounds like Splendor Solis and Edges) and popped in the Sam Roberts album afterwards.
All in all, an excellent night and I don't think that will happen again tonight, but who knows? I heard it's supposed to go up to 21 degrees today. Holy crap. Perhaps I'll just get my bike ready to go out.
Review: Sam Roberts - Chemical City
Apr 11, 2006
Oh boy, oh boy. A new Sam Roberts Band album.You may not know me, but I'm a big Sam Roberts fan. I love their music, I love their live show even more. They get into those jams that take you to the other place.
Let's be honest, I haven't picked up the new album yet. I can't review it entirely. I'm sitting here anxiously counting 7 hours to go until I can go pick it up.
There's only one thing I hate about iPods. When I go to the record store, I can't rip open the packaging and pop the CD into my iPod. I have to sit patiently on the bus ride home while staring at the album.
Anyhow, I have heard 5 tracks off of this album so far and they are stellar. They are different from one another so I am curious to see how the album holds up as one solid piece of musical art.
Will I be disappointed? Probably not. I constantly listen to the tracks I recorded off the radio the other night...
My review will come within 24 hours I suspect, unless I'm lost in the music.
On another note of interest - Jeff Martin (of Tea Party fame) has his solo album out today. Should be good! Back to the old Eastern-style influences I hear...
Review: George R. R. Martin's - A Game of Thrones
I finally got around to reading this book through all the other literatures that I needed to read in this past semester.A Game of Thrones is a fantasy novel based in the Seven Kingdoms...somewhere far off where the dragons have left the lands and the king rules all along with his trusty sidekicks across the realm.
Alas, not all is well and the King's right hand man is dead. So the King's ever faithful friend Eddard Stark comes in to help as well as secretly look into the rumours that this may have been a murder.
This book is excellent. EXCELLENT! It's quite long, but never boring. The chapters focus in a few characters stories spread out across the land and how they intertwine with one another's.
I enjoyed the freshness from other fantasy novels and the intricate story that was laid out. I quickly went out to buy the next book in the series and did not balk at the 1000 pages that are spread out before me to read. Chances are, the new school semester will put a hold on reading this for awhile.
I would recommend this both to fantasy novel aficiandos and also those who just enjoy a good read.
Can This Boy Take on the Palmer Reunion?
Apr 10, 2006
During the weekend, I brought up the point that I was scanning some photos from the last Palmer Reunion in 1988 and wondered why we haven't had one since.
Mom mentioned that it's pretty hard to organize...
After a few bottles of wine and moose meat, I declared that I would be up for the task along with anyone else who would join in this band of merry Palmers.
Dad and his cousin triumphantly declared their allegiance to our quest and we began to think of how to go about it.
In the end, I think it may be a lot of work, but worth it. Also, it's probably a heck of a lot easier than organizing a wedding. Get 100 people into a room and have a party. What can be so hard about that?
Here's how I see the plan unfolding:
- Determine who is interested.
- Determine where to have it.
- Book the place.
- Tell the people.
- Be there on specified date to attend family reunion.
So I'm sure in the next 1 1/2 years you will hear me talk about it in these cyber walls and I will be asking you for guidance all along the way. But with the power of Greyskull, we will have a Palmer reunion.
Onto Step 1: Who is interested? Must get contact names...
You are My Sunshine Update
Well, I would say that the song is a relative success. We managed to get dad on the accordian for the first time and figured out what buttons he has to push. I believe it will be quite the event once we throw the fiddle and some percussion into the mix next Saturday night.
Celeb Gossip: Eminem
Apr 7, 2006
Enimem files for divorce with his ex-wife yet again. After three months.
Is it just me or was he running out of the creative spark so he realized that he should get back together with his ex then he would have another album's worth of material to write about?
Classic rock star method. Break your heart, have a solid album.
Is it just me or was he running out of the creative spark so he realized that he should get back together with his ex then he would have another album's worth of material to write about?
Classic rock star method. Break your heart, have a solid album.
Interview: R. MacDonald
Apr 6, 2006
I recently interviewed a co-op student here in the office about his life in race car driving which we then put up on the youth.gc.ca website.
Take a look here if you're interested in how one gets into the sport of race car driving (and how they descend into a life in the Public Service!)
Take a look here if you're interested in how one gets into the sport of race car driving (and how they descend into a life in the Public Service!)
Purchasing Used Albums = Taking Away From the Artist?
Apr 5, 2006
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not really into the whole downloading of music illegally.
Of course, I do it from time to time...I won't lie. But I will say that I probably download 5% of the music I have obtained in a year and the rest I purchase, to support the artist of course.
But what happens when I stumble upon a used CD store and pick up a few discs? Am I supporting the artist then?
I guess not. They've made their cash off of the sale at a major retailer. Someone has already paid their dues to the artist and now I am paying my dues to the used album dealer.
Should I feel bad about this? If I really feel strongly about the artist, but buy used CDs, why don't I just go ahead and download the albums that I see in the used store? Like a bunch of Beatles albums...I haven't bought a new one yet. I only scour used CD stores for them...so essentially I'm waiting to get a used album when I can just download it.
At the very least, I can attribute the hunt to it.
Of course, I do it from time to time...I won't lie. But I will say that I probably download 5% of the music I have obtained in a year and the rest I purchase, to support the artist of course.
But what happens when I stumble upon a used CD store and pick up a few discs? Am I supporting the artist then?
I guess not. They've made their cash off of the sale at a major retailer. Someone has already paid their dues to the artist and now I am paying my dues to the used album dealer.
Should I feel bad about this? If I really feel strongly about the artist, but buy used CDs, why don't I just go ahead and download the albums that I see in the used store? Like a bunch of Beatles albums...I haven't bought a new one yet. I only scour used CD stores for them...so essentially I'm waiting to get a used album when I can just download it.
At the very least, I can attribute the hunt to it.
Nacho Libre VS. Ricky Bobby
I don't know who would win...they both look like killer flicks.
Will Ferrell's new one -> http://sonypictures.com/movies/talladeganights/site/index.php
Jack Black's new one -> http://www.nacholibre.com/
Pros for Ricky Bobby: It has Will Pharell.
Pros for Nacho Libre: It has Jack Black AND was made by the creator of Napolean Dynamite.
Will Ferrell's new one -> http://sonypictures.com/movies/talladeganights/site/index.php
Jack Black's new one -> http://www.nacholibre.com/
Pros for Ricky Bobby: It has Will Pharell.
Pros for Nacho Libre: It has Jack Black AND was made by the creator of Napolean Dynamite.
Two Thumbs up To Toshiba!
Apr 4, 2006
http://www.toshiba.ca/web/link?id=2200
Toshiba's TERRE program takes your old laptop (aka, the paperweight) and disposes of them properly (as in, they don't throw it into a landfill where toxic chemicals can leak out) and in disposing of your laptop, they'll give you a 128MB USB Stick free.
You have accomplished something that is not an easy feat Toshiba, you have impressed the Palmer.
Toshiba's TERRE program takes your old laptop (aka, the paperweight) and disposes of them properly (as in, they don't throw it into a landfill where toxic chemicals can leak out) and in disposing of your laptop, they'll give you a 128MB USB Stick free.
You have accomplished something that is not an easy feat Toshiba, you have impressed the Palmer.
Recording Update
Mike and I hammered away on a track on Saturday morning. Landing in London is the name and 3 Doors Down is the game.
So far...so good? At this point, we're messing around with the Fostex to figure out recording basics. We managed to record a rough cut of the rhythm and vocals...then I overdubbed some better vocals onto another track. Mike's having a hard time with the lead so we'll wait awhile on that one. He's not used to playing the electric guitar so we decided to just jump back to recording the lead acoustically.
The interesting part of recording are the little things...like we now know you should count up your song...1,2,3,4. Because when it came time to overdub some leads, we didn't know when the thing would start exactly. Alright, that's a lie...we know EXACTLY when it will start because there's a clock on the Fostex...but we were having a hard time watching the clock and trying to start at the exact time. Anyhow, we'll know for next time...count it in! 1,2,3,4.
Which brings me to a point about recording...here I am thinking we have to be all professional and have our track start out perfect...who cares? Once we're done the song, we just have to trim the countdown at the start!
I think a recording basics course would be helpful but at the same time, I'm sure whatever we find works...works.
So far...so good? At this point, we're messing around with the Fostex to figure out recording basics. We managed to record a rough cut of the rhythm and vocals...then I overdubbed some better vocals onto another track. Mike's having a hard time with the lead so we'll wait awhile on that one. He's not used to playing the electric guitar so we decided to just jump back to recording the lead acoustically.
The interesting part of recording are the little things...like we now know you should count up your song...1,2,3,4. Because when it came time to overdub some leads, we didn't know when the thing would start exactly. Alright, that's a lie...we know EXACTLY when it will start because there's a clock on the Fostex...but we were having a hard time watching the clock and trying to start at the exact time. Anyhow, we'll know for next time...count it in! 1,2,3,4.
Which brings me to a point about recording...here I am thinking we have to be all professional and have our track start out perfect...who cares? Once we're done the song, we just have to trim the countdown at the start!
I think a recording basics course would be helpful but at the same time, I'm sure whatever we find works...works.
What the Heck?
It's snowing here. I walk out of the bus 20 minutes ago into some rain and now I'm looking out the window and it's snowing.
Why I *heart* ING Direct
Apr 3, 2006
Advice from the Palmer: Get ING Direct account or something similar.Internet banking...the way of the future.
The way of the future towards easy savings.
Last month I got stung with a $1K+ bill for property taxes. The first of two that will come in the year.
Now, before I go on, I do understand that I can set up monthly payments for this type of thing, so thank you.
However, I thought to myself "Self, how can I go about this smartly? Perhaps I should pull out the old tricks of when I was my own small business working for the Gov't."
So, I now put some of my own money into a savings account every week at ING Direct. I can make any number of accounts for free - so I set up one up with a description of PROPERTY TAXES and set up an autowithdrawal on it. The beauty of this is that I'll make some money off of it from the interest.
Alright, it's not much interest. Maybe I'll make $40-$60 over the year.
But that's still some cash in my pocket rather than money given to the MAN every month.
Some may laugh at myself doing this, but I'm going to set up accounts for all the little things that I have to save up for over the year. The next one will be for my driver's license renewal. I hate when the birthday shows up and you have to fork out some cash to pay for your license plate renewal. With this system, I'll just have to go into the account, deplete it, and start all over again.
I encourage those who are wanting to save money for specific uses (perhaps a wedding? Or a new car? Or a new Apple laptop?) - set up some free accounts at ING Direct with the direct withdrawal feature! She's a beaut!
Prrropppss.
Some props going to Vero's Dad who was cool enough to try and sneak into Section 216 at the Scotiabank Place while we had standing room tickets up in the nosebleeders.
I must admit that if an entire two rows are empty, the bouncers (that's right...they're secretly 80 year old bouncers) should just let you have a taste of what is good in life so that you may buy some tickets to the 200 Level the next time you come.
Anyhow, we enjoyed our 10 minutes of fortune while watching the Timbits (attempt to) skate over the ice. Andréane was amazed that there are TWO Zambonis on the rink...you don't get to see that living up in the North.
But alas, it the moment left us pretty soon as the bouncer came by and started waving a piece of paper at us. I don't know about you, but I get freaked out by flying pieces of paper so I didn't want to stick around.
All in all, the game was a disappointment. When I'm at a game, I don't really who wins the game (alright, alright...let it be the Sens), but give us a little action here guys! The greatest cheer from the crowd was when the guy selling beer came walking around.
I must admit that if an entire two rows are empty, the bouncers (that's right...they're secretly 80 year old bouncers) should just let you have a taste of what is good in life so that you may buy some tickets to the 200 Level the next time you come.
Anyhow, we enjoyed our 10 minutes of fortune while watching the Timbits (attempt to) skate over the ice. Andréane was amazed that there are TWO Zambonis on the rink...you don't get to see that living up in the North.
But alas, it the moment left us pretty soon as the bouncer came by and started waving a piece of paper at us. I don't know about you, but I get freaked out by flying pieces of paper so I didn't want to stick around.
All in all, the game was a disappointment. When I'm at a game, I don't really who wins the game (alright, alright...let it be the Sens), but give us a little action here guys! The greatest cheer from the crowd was when the guy selling beer came walking around.
