The Wait(s) Over

I've always had a fondness for this song. Didn't realize until tonight that the Eagles had done a cover version (and apparently so has Sarah McLachlan.) However, my favourite version of this was played in front of a beach fire at a cottage on Okanagan Lake one summer by an old buddy of mine, Pete Faris, on a vintage Martin guitar after my first year of grad school. Talk about old days!

Cheers to the New Year.

(Chinese) Food For Thought

If you've got a spare 16 minutes or so you might want to check out New York Times columnist Jennifer 8. Lee's (gotta love that byline)talk outlining her review of the origin of American Chinese food.

Here's the video.

The Cat's Meow

Somewhat ironically, the woman behind the yule time classic, "Santa Baby", died of colon cancer earlier today, Christmas 2008.

DR

Just a couple of shots from the Dominican.


First a shot of the beach just in front of the resort.

Here's one of Harry.

Oh, wait, you can't really see Harry in all his glory, here's a zoomed-in version,

That's better!

Wagon Train

Well with their recent signing can any sane individual remain off the Canuck's bandwagon?

Driving Miss Daisy

Take the test. I did.

I'm thinking Mr. Brown might score a little better than DRo.

Created by The Car Connection

Harper's Bizzarre

You knew this remix was inevitable.

Mason Jars

Might be showing my age here but Dave Mason (one of the founders of the seminal rock band Traffic)recently released his first album in some time. And based on my initial listening it's a keeper.

Hold up those BIC lighters, the 70's are back.

Mr. Bojangles

I guess Sammy liked his whiskey!

Retreat of the Penguin

Fly Me To The "MOON"

Another one from last Friday.

Trick or Treat

Here's a photo of Friday night's action at the Well and a quiz.

What am I dressed up as?

1. a bandwagon jumper.


2. an escaped psyche ward patient suffering from reaction formation.


3. an idiot.


4. all of the above.

Run Lola Run

For each of my last five or so ventures out to the trails of scenic Port Moody I've managed to get in at least 5 k. Might be time to invest in a new pair of shoes.

First Blood

Well with yesterday's stunning victory, after two games our record is now 1 win and 1 loss.

Briar Rabbit!

Well , after clearly mastering one of the mad Scots' silly games (i.e., golf with my last three rounds at the Academy coming in well under 50) I'm taking on their other silly game -- curling.

Took a 4.5 hour "beginners" clinic yesterday and with three other guys from the pub we're signing up for the "hangover" league in Coquitlam starting next Sunday at 9:00am.

Really, can the Briar be that far away??!

Mind Over Matter

From the Gizmodo Blog:

This past June, a judge in the Indian state of Maharashtra convicted a woman of killing her ex-fiance, citing as proof an EEG scan showing “experiential knowledge” of the crime.....The story tells of a woman who lived in the town of Pune, engaged to Man A. One day, she up and runs off to Delhi with Man B. She returns to Pune, meets Man A at a McDonald's, and later on, he dies. Of arsenic poisoning. When the woman was brought in accused of murdering Man A, she denied the allegation. When investigators hooked her up to an EEG and read aloud facts of the crime, however, software interpreting the electrical impulses in her brain told a different story. Says the NYT: "The relevant nooks of her brain where memories are thought to be stored buzzed when the crime was recounted."
Unlike in previous cases, there was little or no corroborative evidence here, but the judge sentenced the woman to life in prison anyway, and went on to write a 9-page lovesong to this particular Brain Electrical Oscillations Signature test, even though it has yet to be "validated by any independent study and reported in a respected scientific journal."


God, you got to love it when the judiciary jumps in bed with the fringe neuro-scientists!

DRo -- JFu .....Maybe Move To A Cash Economy

From CBC online:
Debit card skimmers target Kamloops residents...Since this summer, close to 70 Kamloops residents have found money missing from their bank accounts, totalling thousands of dollars, RCMP said.

"[With] your bank account information and your PIN number they create new bank cards using your information and go on a spree. They take out as much as they can each day out of your account," Wilson said.

RCMP believe a gang operating in the Lower Mainland is behind the debit card scam and it is operating throughout Western Canada, Wilson said.

Be careful out there boys!

Therzo -- This Might Be The Way To Go....

Thriller!

From British Idol.

SHAFTED

Academy Award Winner -- Isaac Hayes - dead at 65 --WTF?

NO MORE BIG MAC

From CBC's website:

American comedian Bernie Mac died early Saturday morning in a Chicago hospital, according to his publicist, Danica Smith.

"Actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia," Smith said in a statement from Los Angeles. She said no other details were available and asked that his family's privacy be respected

Just Being A Good Samaritin

Got home early this afternoon and was looking across the street (from my balcony) and saw a lady in distress with a flat tire. I walked onto my balcony and asked if she needed assistance and she said yes. Ran down the stairs and helped her to change a tire on her car.

Within 10-20 minutes of successfully completing this task I receive a phone message with the photo to your left, and the following text:


How much are you willing to pay for this photo to disappear?? :)

Other than my fat ass, should I be embarassed?

Pemberton, Shemberton

Captured live on Dec. 20th of last year....

Assembly Not Required

Apparently, these wonders of the modern age (i.e., airplanes) don't need all their parts to keep flying. From CBC's website:

An exterior panel on a Cathay Pacific jetliner came away from the fuselage and damaged other panels as the plane was descending into Vancouver International Airport early Tuesday morning, officials with the Transportation Safety Board say.

The panel that covered the air conditioning unit on the belly of the Boeing 747-400 came off and dented other non-structural panels on the plane, but had no detrimental effect on the flight of the aircraft, TSB inspector Bill Yearwood told the CBC.


So instead of laying off flight attendants to cover increased fuel costs why don't the airlines makes these planes more efficient and get rid of all of these non-essential parts?

I Wanna Take You Higher

Check out this version of the Shepard tone illusion.

Fly Like An Eagle

Yeah, "man" was meant to fly. I think that Quantas still maintains its "no-crash" status but I don't think I'm hopping aboard anytime soon.

Heli-Fishing

I don't remember this kind of fishing at Lac des Roches!

I Ain't Drunk -- I've Just Been Drinking!

From the SF Chronicle:

State police say they arrested a man early Tuesday whose blood alcohol level was 0.491 percent — the highest ever recorded in Rhode Island for someone who wasn't dead.

Stanley Kobierowski was taken to a hospital, put in the detoxification unit and sedated, said Maj. Steven O'Donnell. He was arraigned Tuesday on charges of driving while intoxicated and resisting arrest, and he was released after promising to appear Friday at a court hearing....
The legal limit in Rhode Island is 0.08. A level of 0.30 is classified as stupor, 0.4 is comatose and 0.5 is considered fatal, according to the health department.

My guess if this guy ever sobers up and gets a lawyer he should have no trouble getting off. Clearly the breathalyzer reading was off or how could he have been driving if he was just between the levels of comatose and dead.

BTW it's Albert Collins in the YouTube clip.

"Tiger" at the ESPYs

Not a huge fan of Will's but some might appreciate this.

I know it's early on in the second day and some golfers have yet to tee off but, here was the leaderboard for the Open at 5:30 this morning.

Did I wake up 10 years ago? Oh yeah, that would make the drug lord (spiderman)only 16!

High Ho, High Ho....It's Off To Work I Go

On my drive up the hill to work (or swim really) at 7:10 this morning I drove past a cyclist who was riding his bike with not only no helmet but no hands.

In one hand he had a large Starbucks and the other hand he was using to smoke with -- so clearly he didn't have any hands left for the handlebars.

However, as I drove carefully past him, with the car's top down, I inhaled what could only be the smell of BC bud.

Ah, lotus land!

Don't Go Breaking My Heart

From: www.chinaview.cn

Jimmy Kimmel, Sarah Silverman split after 5 years


BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Popular U.S. comedians Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman have ended their relationship, just a few months after they celebrated their five-year anniversary, according to media report Tuesday.
"Jimmy and Sarah have and will have no further comment," Lewis Kay and Amy Zvi, the respective reps for Kimmel and Silverman, said in a joint statement.
No reason was given for the split.





Ronnie...despite her somewhat lame performance here, I think it's time you made the move..Ice Skating Anyone?

Something To Be Bitter About

Saw this on Reuters' rss feed:

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian man convicted of his seventh drink-driving charge was spending about A$1,000 ($972) a week on beer -- enough to buy more than 2,500 small bottles a month, a newspaper said Tuesday.

The heartbroken construction worker began drowning his sorrows after breaking up with his partner five years ago, the Northern Territory News said, quoting his defense lawyer as telling a court in Australia's remote, tropical north.

The magistrate declined to jail the father of four, Michael Leary, noting he had quit drinking since his latest arrest, but he banned Leary from buying or even holding a beer for 12 months.

Now, while this is disturbing behaviour, the best part of the story was in the judge's following comment about the person's judgement:

''(That is) poor judgment on two counts there -- drinking that much and drinking Melbourne Bitter,'' magistrate Vince Luppino was quoted as saying.

I am pretty sure a judge in this country would be in hot water for making this kind of comment.

F'n Copy Cat

Kammie land and its residents are constantly envious of what we have out in lotus land however, this is going too far. Trying to emulate yesterday's Hydro fire in downtown Vancouver I see the following from CBC online.....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Explosion knocks out power for thousands in Kamloops



About 25,000 BC Hydro customers in Kamloops were without power after an explosion at a substation knocked out power to most of the city around 7:30 a.m. PT Tuesday.

No one is believed to have been hurt in the blast, which occurred as hydro crews were inside the substation.

Power to most customers in the B.C. Interior city was restored by about 9 a.m.

Meanwhile, in Vancouver about 1,000 customers were still without power after an underground fire shutdown power to a large area of the downtown core. There is no indication the two events are related.

Whistle While You Work

As part of my hectic summer schedule I took my empty bottles to Save On Food's recycling service. It was somewhat busy but there were two girls/women working there and the one who served me was about a 19-22 yr. old, tatted up, pierced, and with purple hair. Seldom have I seen a person working in the service industry (or really any industry) so happy with her/his work. She helped my sort my bottles (something that no other recycling clerk at Save-On has ever done) but, she complimented me on my ability to crush the bottles in advance. During the time she was helping me she received a package (which turned out to be lunch from a fast food place) from a person who was clearly a "binner". As she told me, this guy is in every day to redeem what he's collected but the people at Save-On reserve any liquor/beer/wine bottles that people leave (b/c Save-On does not recycle them)and pass them on to him and he then takes them to a liquor store for the recycling fee. Apparently, he makes a fair amount of money doing this as he buys lunch for the Save-On recycling clerks a couple of times a week. She then told me that it was his birthday next week and they (the Save-On recycling clerks) were taking him out for dinner (DRo, no drooling, but they were planning to take him to Mr. Mikes!!).

It was great to see someone who is clearly working in a non-glamorous job truly making the best of it. She was an inspiriation.

A New Prospect For Next Season's Winner of NHL's Northwest Division

Flames sign Todd Bertuzzi


According to the CBC Todd Bertuzzi is signing a one-year contract worth $1.95 million US with the Calgary Flames.


Todd Bertuzzi, right, and Jarome Iginla will be NHL teammates after Bertuzzi signed with the Calgary Flames on Monday. Todd Bertuzzi, right, and Jarome Iginla will be NHL teammates after Bertuzzi signed with the Calgary Flames on Monday. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)


Look out boyzz -- now this is a team to follow -- not only is there a decent goalie, they might be able to score!!!

So this is what you get when you turn 50....

I Might Be Switching From Jack Rabbit!

Swedish Meatballs

According to CBC:

The franchise leader in goals and points for the Vancouver Canucks is heading to the New York Rangers.

New York signed unrestricted free agent Markus Naslund on Thursday to a two-year deal. Naslund, who turns 35 on July 20, has spent the last 12 seasons with the Canucks, seven as team captain.

The contract is for $8 million US, with a $1-million signing bonus. Naslund earned $6 million US last season, but his production has declined in recent years.





Now what are the 'nuckleheads going to do with all that extra $$.

You've Got To Be Kidding

This would drive anyone to Rehab!

Oh, Canada

Happy Canada Day!

Super, Man

I hadn't seen this before. Not great but worth your time.

The Hulk, Incredible

Went to this with Mr. Brown yesterday and contrary to what I've read/heard from others this was on par with (if not superior to) Iron Man.

Can the Dark Knight prevail?

Really, he was just heading out of town....

Port Moody shooting victim 'known' to police

The victim of a shooting in the Vancouver suburb of Port Moody on Tuesday evening is known to police, according to investigators.


The 29-year-old man was shot in the head and found slumped near a black Mercedes in the 2000 block of Highview Place near Cecile Drive at about 9 p.m.

We all know that the Mood is safe. As per below, the guy was shot over 4 km from my place (I'm A he's B).





He was probably on the way to make a drug delivery somewhere in Burquitlam!

A Classic Bit From A Classic Comic -- RIP

Sixth human foot found in Canada

From BBC News:


Another human foot encased in a running shoe has been found on the shores of British Columbia in Canada, the second this week and the sixth within a year.





Police admit -- "they're stumped"!!

Tiger Woods out for rest of season

Tiger Woods out for rest of season: "

Tiger Woods has confirmed that he will miss the rest of the 2008 golf season.Woods revealed for the first time Wednesday that he suffered a small stress fracture in his left leg two weeks before his triumph Monday at the U.S. Open.However, he said knee surgery is what will sideline him indefinitely. He underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove cartilage in his left knee in April, but will now need reconstructive surgery to repair his anterior cruciate ligament in the same knee.

"

Guess this means there is a spot for me on the tour!!

Not Just Anyone's Pool Boy

Johnny Miller really put his foot in his mouth yesterday. Here's a snippet of the commentary...

After Tiger doubled one and Rocco birdied two for the lead, there were remarks about Rocco requesting a DVD of his Saturday that involved going toe-to-toe with the El Tigre. That prompted Johhny Miller to remark:

Yeah, he's a character; he looks more like the guy who cleans Tiger's swimming pool...

Yet Another One Out

Swedish jazz star Esbjorn Svensson died in a diving accident this weekend, his manager announced on Monday.

Esbjorn's trio, E.S.T., was scheduled to perform as part of the Vancouver Jazz Festival later this month.

Power To The People

It's not even half-way through the year but this might be the album of 2008. Sometime rapper and friend of Feist Gonzales's "Soft Power" is a flashback to the 70's. Try, you just might like it!

For $50 I Think I'll Pee In The Bushes

Saw this "amazing" item on a web site. I'm not sure how I'd feel carrying a club in my golf bag that's filled with urine. Who know, it might help my game.


















Here's the spiel on it:

Every aspect of this piece of equipment has been meticulously worked out to make it simple and trouble free to use. To start with, the UroClub™ is designed from a light weight resin with a molded grip. The cap opens and closes easily and is designed with a triple sealing system to ensure that it is leak proof.



The privacy shield hooks to the sides of the pants or belt and adds stability. This allows freedom of the hands to manipulate the club and zipper.



The entire club is made of a non-porous material. Therefore, caring and cleaning is effortless!



The UroClub™ is intended to eliminate anxiety and any feeling of uneasiness on the course. It can be emptied at the nearest restroom or later on, when the golfer returns home.



Capacity: Over half a liter, twice the volume commonly urinated.


Length: Like a standard 7 Iron

If Only Dave Had Taken Intro Psyc

From CBC online:

"A Vancouver newspaper has fired one of its sports columnists after he admitted that he copied parts of a Sports Illustrated article and used them in his own piece.

The decision came after David Pratt admitted he plagiarized material from a Sept. 12, 2000, article written by Rick Reilly, a basketball commentator, the Province announced Wednesday."

I'm glad to see that the Province management has taken this step and fired Mr. Pratt. It gives me a good example to illustrate the consequences that can occur for plagiarizing. And I don't buy's Pratt's rationalizations...

"Pratt told CBC News on Wednesday that he made a mistake and has apologized repeatedly in the last 24 hours.

He describes the plagiarism as a "minor gaffe," saying he saw the Reilly column and thought "that's a pretty good line."

"It was a Saturday and I wanted to get out of [the office] before noon," he said over the phone." (again from CBC online).

If he really thought it was a good line then he should have given the appropriate credit to the original author and the horseshit excuse about wanting to get out of the office is really the icing on the cake.

Bye, Bo Diddley!!

December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008

Squish Squash

Heard this on CBC's Go this morning....seeing it made me a bit queezy!

R.I.P.

Sydney Pollack has passed away. He actually got Tom Cruise to act in "The Firm". Also directed some great flicks like "Three Days of The Condor" and "They Shoot Horses. Don't They?".

Finally, A Useful Invention

A New Diet For Mr. Brown....

Cheers to a speedy recovery!

Why My Camping Boycott Continues

A 19-year-old man died and two others were stabbed in a fight between two groups of men that broke out at a family campground in Cultus Lake, B.C., on Saturday night.

Advice & Consent

Came across this gem while looking through the latest online version of the American Psychological Associations "Monitor on Psychology".

The "test" was developed in the late 1930s by George W. Crane, MD, PhD, of Northwestern University, who ran a counseling practice, wrote a syndicated national newspaper column called "The Worry Clinic" and started his own matchmaking service. The test was designed to give couples feedback on their marriages. Either husbands or wives could take the test, which rated wives in a variety of areas.

Put Some Iron Into Your Diet

Despite having had a somewhat meager lunch at Joeys (3 miniburgers) I managed to chow down most of a large popcorn and pop at today's 1:10 pm screening of Iron Man. Worth the wait, excellent movie. However, DRo's recommendation/commandment to stay 'til the end of the credits was time that would have been better spent visiting the closest urinal (what with all the liquids consumed). Sam Jackson as Nick Fury in the Avenger's Movie -- WTF -- as Therzo repeatedly pointed out, Nick Fury is an angry white man (much like I was waiting for the credits to end).



And BTW, what's wrong with recasting the Hoff?

It's Like Christmas For Mr. Brown

Saturday May 3rd, 2008
What is Free Comic Book Day?

Free Comic Book Day is a single day when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely free* to anyone who comes into their stores

Can't Wait -- This Most Likely Is The Movie Of The Summer

The Heat Is On

Went to lunch with Mr. Brown today and our first pick on the Drive was Timbre which, when we arrived, a sign on the door informed us that they would open at 11:00 am starting May 1 (i.e., tomorrow). Thwarted in our initial attempt we moved it on down the street to the newly opened Reef (sister of its namesake on Main). The Jerk Chicken Roti I had was great and Therzo said his Caribbean burger was fine. And there's never anything wrong with a couple of Caribs.



Before bringing over our lunches the server dropped off a couple of hot pepper sauces, both made by Matouk. She said that they were both hot (as one would expect of sauces that have habanero peppers as the main ingredient) but she added the "red" sauce was a little hotter. I tried both and really couldn't differentiate them much in terms of heat levels. But according to the manufacturer the red is rated as 10/10 in heat and the orange/yellow sauce only an 8/10. Either way, they are among the hottest of pepper sauces I've come across and there's no way I'd drink even a half of a bottle of either for $100.

The Times, They Are A Changin' II

Former NHL player agent Mike Gillis was introduced Wednesday as the new general manager of the Vancouver Canucks after signing a five-year contract.

He succeeds David Nonis, who was fired April 14 after the Canucks failed to clinch a playoff berth for the second time in the last three seasons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My guess is that this will be the first of many changes to come before the upcoming season for DRo's beloved Canucks. As the adage goes, "A new broom sweeps clean" so I'm sure we'll see a coaching change and significant changes to the roster. The question is will Gillis be able to objectively assess Naslund's value (to the team) given that Gillis was at least in part responsible for his bloated current salary?

Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire

Taser Shock Triggers Fire in Man's Pants'

A Hamilton man Tasered by police is in hospital after the stun gun ignited a 'flammable object' in his pants, burning him.The incident is under review by Ontario's Special Investigations Unit, which probes all police-related deaths and serious injuries. According to the SIU, police were called to a Queenston Road apartment in Hamilton's east end around 9 p.m. Thursday.'Three officers went there in response to a disturbance call,' said SIU spokesman Frank Phillips yesterday. 'During the interaction, an officer discharged his Taser. A flammable object the man had in the waistband of his pants ignited.'The man, 31, was burned on his hand and thigh. He was taken to Hamilton General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

"

The Times They Are A Changin'

Hard to believe this commercial aired 40 years ago.

Will/Should Vigneault Be Next? with great power comes great responsibility

The Vancouver Canucks announced today that Dave Nonis has been relieved of his duties as the team’s General Manager & Sr. Vice-President. The Canucks finished the 2007-08 season with a record of 39-33-10 and missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

“The decision to relieve Dave of his duties was difficult,” explained Francesco Aquilini, Chairman, Vancouver Canucks. “We want to thank Dave for the many contributions he has made helping to build our organization during his tenure. However, I think this important change in leadership is critical to the future of the team and the direction we need to take. It’s not acceptable to our fans or to us as owners that our team isn’t in the playoffs.”

“As owners we made a commitment to deliver the kind of hockey our fans deserve. At the same time, with leadership comes responsibility. So, our search begins today for a new general manager, and our focus going forward is on a winning season in 2008-09.”

This Ain't No Laughing Matter

The 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches of All Tim

Nerve and the Independent Film Channel have posted a list of the "50 Greatest Comedy Sketches" (click on link above). I haven't had time to look through them all (and unfortunately a number of the clips are either no longer available or not available outside of the US) but I think they've made a great choice for #1.

Play That Funky Music White Boy

You know I do it....I'm not sure why I do it...but, here's maybe a reason. From an email earlier today:

PSYC 102-MARCH 27 LECTURE MUSIC

I'm in your Psychology 102 class and in lecture on March 27 you played a
song that I really liked. I've been trying to find it but without success.
As you always do, you asked if anyone recognized the artist. Nobody did,
and I believe you told us it was a pre-release track by Moby. I seem to
remember you saying it was called "hot even off the press". If you have any
idea what I'm talking about I would really appreciate it if you could email
me back with the title of the song and the artist (if it is not Moby) .... Many thanks!


All part of what you might call a "Liberal Arts" education.

Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is?

This could be why I don't wear a watch.



You can pick your's up here for $145.