If you were given a return flight to anywhere (fully paid), leaving tomorrow night, where would you go? One night stopover permitted en route.
I'd go to Florence, Itlay. With a stop-over in London, England.
I got together yesterday with some of the fine folks that I travelled to, and around, Australia with last year. It was great to catch up, see some photos of others journeys, and rehash old memories about flights delayed and luggage lost.
It stirred up the travel bugs inside me.
Uh-oh.
No, I haven't abandoned you. Its just the no-computers-at-the-cottage rule that's been holding me back. Its all things relative this week. Family from all over have appeared along with friends old and new. Hence, going to the beach and golf are required.
Thursday is the mandatory day for go-carts and mini golf. Friends and cousins of all ages will be piled into the van for the day long excursion. I've been doing some research on the subject. This will also include stopping for ice cream at least a dozen times and renting a Sea-Doo if Justin gets his way.
Last night I was out at the cottage (with family visiting from Ajax, Ontario) and we had a go at a game called "Talk About". The game involves one team choosing a card (which displays a subject and 10 key words) and the other team trying to guess the 10 keys words on the card, by talking out loud, relating to the given subject, within a certain time limit.
Example: Subject = PIE
Keywords = apple, pizza, eskimo, tin, bake, crust, plate, eat,
slice, lemon
The game is circa 1989 and the some of the topics - like TV shows ("All in the Family") and actors (Richard Dreyfus) - show how dated it really is. I was playing with young teenagers who had no idea with regards to these topics.
One topic we came upon was George Bush. It took a couple of minutes for me to realize that no one even knew there was such a thing as G.B. Senior (which is who the card was referring to). I took a look at the card myself, out of curiousity, and was surprised to find these 10 words re: George Bush:
- Barbara
- President
- Navy
- Pilot
- Wimp
- Kinder
- Gentler
- Nation
- Republican
- Texas
I'm the first to admit that I'm not on top of things when it comes to politics; I faintly remember that "Kinder, Gentler, Nation" was his slogan -- but wimp?
I was on my way to soccer Wednesday night and Garrison Starr (Eighteen Over Me) just wasn't setting the right mood. I went through some old cds and happily settled on Veruca Salt - Eight Arms to Hold You. Since then I seem to be going through a serious Veruca Salt phase, playing it everyday, and often loudly, in the car.
They are currently constructing a new website, but isn't everyone. Let's hope this one gets better reviews.
My current fave is 'With David Bowie'.
Well, the new official Sloan site has been launched and its a beauty! It was created by the super talented slices at silverorange. These are the same slices that created the stylin' photo gallery and weblog belonging to your truly.
I'm a big Sloan fan and have seen them at least a dozen times. Perhaps most memorably on the Summersault Tour in 2000 where the band passed by in a car getting to the stage and Patrick waved right at me. But, seriously, he was my favorite even before that.
The last time I saw them (too long ago) was at the Bowery Ballroom in New York (July 2002). This ties in nicely with the new site, which is a great one for the fans - audience participation is mandatory! Fans are asked to submit photos, reviews, and comments about Sloan shows they've seen which will be included online. Of course, I was first in line and the site launched featuring some photos I took of the band in fine form at the aforementioned show.
If you don't know this band then Andrew, Chris, Jay, and Patrick are very disappointed in you and so am I. But this can all be easily resolved, just go to the site to read up, watch, and listen.
GO! NOW!
*MuchMusic is like MTV only better.
Ok, so the über fans knew right away, they just sense that something is wrong; and people who had tickets to shows that got cancelled totally know, but do you?
Here's the short version: Jack White III broke his hand in a car accident, it didn't heal properly and had to have corrective surgery (including screws). He wrote a letter on the message board to explain the cancelled shows and then later put up this video (6MB) of the surgery (and a couple of close-up photos) to make us feel involved and a part of what's going on with him.
I am getting used to waking up to rain on the roof and the sound that cars make driving through wet pavement along my street.
I just came back from a "holiday" to a family summer home in Yarmouth (I say it in quotation marks because somehow it doen't feel like a holiday when it rains straight through from start to finish). For those of you unfamiliar, Yarmouth (the most westerly point of Nova Scotia) is approx. 7 hours drive from my home in Charlottetown.
It literally did not stop raining for more than 10 minutes at a time and even that break wasn't a frequent occurance. Roads were flooded, basements were flooded, septic tanks were flooded. Not good. As we played cards, bailed out the boat, visited friends, swam to rescue the small family wharf/dock that was floating away, or went to restaurants, all talk gravitated to the subject of rain. I began to notice all the sayings that go along with heavy rain:
- I thought that I would wake up with mold on my feet.
- I was wondering when I should start building the Ark.
- I think I'm growing flippers!
- Its raining cats and dogs.
I wonder if these saying are familiar to everyone across the country? What phrases relating to rain are common in other countries? Do they say I think I'm growing flippers! when it pours rain on the plains of Saskatchewan? or in Ireland?
BIAS WARNING
My super-talented brother was chosen out of a quabillion young artists to be presented on this national postcard produced by terminus1525.ca (in conjunction with Canada Council for the Arts and National Arts Centre).
Dan was a little ahead of me to congratulate him, but I'm sure that doesn't mean I'm loved any less... right?
Geoff's featured work is titled "The Gathering" and a detail of the work is seen farthest right on the postcard.
This one is my favorite. Or maybe this one.
