Feel Good Inc.
In preparation for our upcoming trip to Edmonton for the National Club Championships we, as a team, have been going to Pilates once a week. Pilates by Garda is a brand new studio and in an effort to widen their clientele they invited us to come in for free for a few weeks to see the benifits for ourselves. It's win-win as we are getting what has proven to be a really great workout, and they get the word of mouth publicity of having a bunch of big tough rugby players shaking and squirming in agony at finding muscles we didn't know existed. Then to top it off the newspaper caught wind of our trip and decided to do a story on the training we have been doing in preparation. This is the picture that appeared in the Gleaner today:
(
THE DAILY GLEANER/STEPHEN MACGILLIVRAY PHOTO)
Members of the Fredericton Loyalists men's rugby team are using Pilates to get ready for the season, which includes attending the inaugural 16-team national club championships May 17-22 in Edmonton. Here players listen to Pilates by Garda on Queen Street instructor Susie Grant. They are, from left, Ryan Jackman, Simon Pacey, Malcolm Reeves and Wade Yeo. You could really put just about any caption on this photo that you want but it's never going to be funnier than the look on the instructor's face when Izzy farted trying to touch his toes. Gold, pure gold!
Stretch
Stand Down At Sundown
Depending on where you are in the world you may have had the opportunity to see the a total eclipse of the sun today. No such luck for those of us in North America but we probably wouldn't have even paid attention to it anyways....
I read some news reports and the very best places to view it were in the Eastern Mediterranean (Greece, Cyprus, Turkey). We may have taken the time to leave our desks to go sneak a peek at the spectacle but those crazy Turks were undoubtedly screaming on the beach. And frankly it is something to marvel at...the cosmic dance. A total solar eclipse occurs when the new moon passes directly in front of the sun. The moon is about 1/4 the size of the earth and the sun is about 109 times larger then the Earth. To figure out how it is possible for such a small body to block such large body stick you thumb out and block your coworkers head with it...I am currently crushing Jackman's skull with my fingers.
In related news...the big sun was shining brightly in the Beach yesterday and as I ran across the bridge it was setting upriver behind Currie Mountain. Coincidentally, Currie Mountain is 109 times the size of the compost heap in our backyard.
Betelgeuse
Labels: Eclipse
Namaste
In the mail...
The Embassy was broken into a couple of months ago and that chapter of the Embassy history is complete. For the start of the chapter click
here. This is the end; this letter arrived from the Justice Department last week and it's gold;
"Dear, Tarek NaguibWhen I acquired your shoes, I had no idea that they were stolen. If I had known that I never would have purchased them. I am sorry that your house was broken in to, and I was sorry to hear your computer was stolen, and I am sorry that I had your roomates shoes in my possesion.I spent three months in prison, so I have had plenty of time to think about it. Although it was quite a hellish experience, some good things came out of it....Anyway, again I appologize for my actions, and I am truly sorry for causing your roomates any trouble. Sincerely YoursName Witheld for Karma's sake
PS - Thank you for not providing a victim impect statement."My favourite line is the last one...it's extra funny because Normy harped on us for a month to do our "homework", which we never did. I just couldn't bring myself to write a victim impact statement for the sake of a wine topper. Sadly, although Jesse did get the shoes back, the wine topper was the only item not recoverd. Well, that and the computer.
SPDP
Isn't She Lovely
This is the new girl in my life...
Allow me to introduce you to Sophie Nicole MacAfee. She was born on Thursday morning after 12+ hours of pacing by Scotty, and 12+ hours of much, much harder work by Nicki. 5 Days late; 8lbs 15oz. Both baby and Mom are doing great.
Scotty and Nick had been keeping mum on the names they were considering. Despite my initial disapointment that they didn't go with Simone (presumably to ease the confusion for Simon the dog), I was immediately taken with the name. And once I actually got to hold her, well just look; she's one of a very few women that could ever get me to look into the camera. Look how tiny she is!!
She also appears to be a fairly non-selective napper...a woman after my own heart.
Congratulations Guys!
Uncle Simon
Higher Ground
Big Day...
The photo above is of Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest peak in Africa. This will surprise those of you who know him as I do but Brian Jones is currently in the middle of his descent from the summit of Kilimanjaro. That his ascent was successful should not surprise you, he is nothing if not tenacious. And much like tackling a man without the ball he would likely say he did it because "it was there". But what is surprising, and what Jonesy has kept pretty low-key to his rugby buddies, is that he is doing this all for charity. His trip is raising money for the school library at South Devon Elementary. If I had a guess I would say that he is somehow making up for the guilt of making fun of Northsiders for all of those years and then marrying one. To check out the whole story click
here.
In other news...hehehe.
I have welcomed a beautiful new girl into my life. Scotty and Nick had a beautiful baby girl early this morning. I don't want to take the pleasure of spreading their wonderful news so please (PLEASE) go check out Scotty's announcement of his baby girl. Check it out
here.
More to follow...
Uncle Simon
To My Mama
Sarah and I arrived home from our brief trip to Ottawa yesterday. After a day of jetlag I am ready to tell you that we had a great time. It was a short trip but in all honesty it was the first time either of us could remember taking a trip together since we last went to Ottawa together to visit Dad in 1980. Where does the time go indeed!
It was also the first time either of us could remember going somewhere to specifically visit mom for four nights. Her and Sam, therefore, felt some need to entertain us, and they did. I think I drank more wine in the few nights up there then I do in a month here in Freddy. As for sight-seeing, well, mom didn't know where the strip bar was so I was a little out of luck but Sarah is more easily entertained and as long as we made periodic stops at either home decorating stores or homes themselves, she was happy. I saw more model homes on the weekend then I did bars so that's something right there. I can tell you that Ottawa is a very nice city. Strangely, they had a lot more snow then we do here but this has been a messed up winter down East. And truthfully both of us were just happy to be up there spending time with Mom and Sam, and very happy to know that they are happy up there and, importantly, that they will down this way sooner rather than later. I need my Vitamin M.
Vitamin S
The Blarney Stone
This picture shows the actual process one goes through in Kissing the Blarney Stone. It seems obvious to me that the legend of the luck brought on by this encounter is a classic inter-national practical joke. "Let's see how many foreigners we can get to roll around on the floor transferring lip fungus?". If there was a grain of truth to the legend it is likely that some drunken Irishman passed out on this spot and kissed the wall waiting for his mates to find him. When they did he considered that good luck and the legend was born.
The real significance of the Blarney Stone is that it is the implement that it feels like was used to repeatedly beat your head the morning after St. Patrick's Day.
Mama I'm Coming Home
Heading to Ottawa tonight. Going up with sister Sarah to visit Mom and Sam. When I talked to Mom earlier in the week to ask her what we had planned I joked that I was bringing my laundry up. She, in all seriousness, said "Sure, bring it up!". Mom, I will not bringing my laundry, and I will not even be bringing my torn and ripped clothes for you to sew. My taxes on the other hand may be coming up...
Looking very forward to it....
Mama's Boy
Grade Nine
Last Saturday some of the fellas from work and I rented a camp on the Miramichi. There is a sign on the side of the road as you come into Blackville with the sage advice of "Giv'er, your on the River!". Taking this advice we planned to test the effects of a dozen beer on one's
washer tossing ability.
We went on the same trip last year and thanks to someone making the mistake of letting me be the voice of reason we did a few hundred dollars damage to another camp on the Miramichi by taking the outdoor game inside. We found out the hard way the difference between hardwood and softwood floors.
Determined not to make the same mistake twice we decided to get our fill of the outdoor game. We did just that and had crowned a champion by 6 0'clock (if it were me there would be much more written about this part of the day; and possibly a picture) after which time we retired to the comforts of the camp (check it
here) and got to cooking dinner. Those not involved in the cooking sat down to enjoy the satellite tv (roughing it this is not!) and that's when we found an old gem of a flick.
I would be hard-pressed to name a movie that I have seen more then
Revenge of the Nerds. I would also be hard-pressed to name a movie that has spawned more inside jokes or catch phrases - "
What's the dirtiest thing ever said on television?". I would say that, with the possible exception of Top Secret, no film has made me laugh more. A true classic.
Cut and paste the link below Coach Harris for his speech. Gold!
http://mixnmojo0.tripod.com/teenwebsite/80spage/nerdspeech.wav
"
No one will really be free until nerd persecution ends. "
Stan Gable
Papa Don't Preach
I don't mean to start trouble here but I really need to get this off of my chest. I must say that we are all very excited about the impending arrival of babies MacAfee and Slipp. But there is a certain truth that I have been hiding and I can't remain silent on the subject any longer. It is a sordid affair....
In the Summer of '98 Slippy was in dire straits and entered into a top-secret animal husbandry experiment sponsored by the MacDonald's Corporation. Without painting too graphic of a picture, Pete was "inseminated" by Ronald MacDonald in the hopes of creating a hybrid beast with large well-marbled haunches, bright orange hair, a signature dance, and a plethora of polished low-post moves. The experiment went awry. Pete had secretly been enjoying bananas and the potassium had a adverse chemical reaction to one of the fertility drugs he was using. Instead of the the McSlipp that they hoped for Pete delivered twins. On the morning of August the 1st 1998, in the bathroom of the Lucky Lunch, he gave birth to two double cheeseburgers. He promptly ate one of them (it was, of course, delicious) and put the other in his pocket for a snack later on. Fortunately, with some help of his legal counsel Craig Allen, he was able to receive his payment for taking part in the experiment and that is how he paid for the Big Rig. The picture above was taken just days before delivery. The figure on the right is part of an entirely seperate cross-dressing experiment. The figure on the left is shaved ape we stole from the zoo. True story....
For pictures of the the other pregnant Slipp click
here and
here.
Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger...
Hehehehehehe....
Rarified
On Friday night this fella was introduced as The Egyptian Magician by Sam Roberts. My guess is that Sam Roberts stopped in at the Social Club on his last trip through Freddy and heard the legend of the Egyptian Prescription and stole the concept. Normy, upon hearing that one of the band members was from Egypt (which is Arabic for
Land of the Sand-Eaters), had to meet the Magician. So after the show we couldn't find the Prescription and sure enough found him rubbing shoulders with his kin. Eric (pictured) was slightly more "into" his heritage and thouroughly confused Normy by actually speaking Arabic. To turn the tables Normy used his well-honed Nicki mind trick by asking an absolutely ridiculous question. The band had been having sound troubles all night and their mics and amps kept cutting out mid-song to leave just the pounding of the drums for the audience's ears. Someone mentioned the problems and Normy interjected "Yeah, so when the sound goes, do you notice up there?". The look was priceless and the response incredulous - "Are you kidding?!". I don't think he was. Of course that is only slightly funnier than his overstating of the obvious last night while watching the tube. A preview for the new X-Men movie has a guy with wings flying through the air. Upon seeing this Normy says "I'd like to do that; it's been a dream of mine since childhood". You are right Stormer, unaided flight would be pretty cool. So would a hand that turns into anything you think of...but that's my dream.
Onto other dreams...as with all rock'n'roll shows the Friday night show reminded me of my childhood dream of being a rockstar. Rick Springfield started it and Vince Neil and Sam Roberts rekindled it last week. Of course to quell the dream all I have to do is look in the corner of our living room to see the untouched guitar that I got for Christmas. It, and I, are currently one string short of a stage name.
The show was good by the way, those guys really giv'er; and the dream lives on....
Rockwell Hardness
Where Have All The Good People Gone?
Sam Roberts in Moncton tonight.
That will make it two shows in a week; which in turn makes any week a good week. So good week, good week. Most importantly good news on the health front for John Leroux. John was involved in a serious car accident last week and was sent to SJ for intensive surgery. He will be laid up for a while and can look forward to a long and arduous rehab but his head is fine; which in his case is the most important thing. Having said that I do look forward to seeing him eat up a dancefloor again someday soon. Good people.
Speaking of which, I was looking at this picture the other day and got to wondering about the whereabouts of the West Plat Wonder, Geoff Nicki. My guess is that he is somewhere in Asia on some kind of motorized vehicle. He is the only one in this picture that looks even remotely comfortable.
Tear into the weekend....
Si
Kickstart My Heart
"
Hellooooo Saint John!" - Vince Neil; hier soir.
The show was good; not great, but good. Big production as you would imagine. Lots of pyrotechnics, dancing girls, and a midget thrown in for good measure. They opened with
Shout at the Devil and they didn't sound very good to start with (Vince's singing particularly) but they took a break pretty early, possibly to sort it out. They came back on and sounded much better. About halfway through the second set the rest of the band took a break and Tommy took over attaching himself to a tether and flying out into the crowd to two drum sets suspended directly above the crowd. He was on fire...well, he was definitely on something. They ended the second set with
Kickstart My Heart and it rocked! But the highlight of the night was their one song encore -
Anarchy in the U.K. Classic arena anthem. Good way to finish it and, despite the lack of the tumbling drum set and Mick Mars seizures, well worth the money.
Oh yeah, a big part of the perceived value may have been the Titty Cam because it eased the pain of knowing that we couldn't go to Chez Cherie afterwards.
Here is a picture of Randy and I partying with Nikki Sixx at Craiger's after the show:
I'm wearing a wig but that's Wheat's new look...
Pace out
Raise Your Hands To Rock
So...I'm skipping school tonight to go see Motley Crue. I'm pretty sure that was the start of an afterschool special in 1987.
The show is in Saint John so I look forward to see who (what) comes out of the woodwork to see the Crue in the Big Stink. That alone would be worth the price of admission; if the price of admission weren't $70. For that price I am going to be damn dissapointed if Tommy Lee doesn't have his gravity-defying tumbling drumset. Also, if Mick Mars makes it through the whole show with a cigarette in his mouth or, for that matter, upright, I will be impressed. Truthfully if they rip
Kickstart My Heart the show will be worth it.
"
When we started this band all we needed, needed was a laughYears gone by...I’d say we’ve kicked some ass"
Truer words Vince, truer words.
Rock On
(THE DAILY GLEANER/STEPHEN MACGILLIVRAY PHOTO)Members of the Fredericton Loyalists men's rugby team are using Pilates to get ready for the season, which includes attending the inaugural 16-team national club championships May 17-22 in Edmonton. Here players listen to Pilates by Garda on Queen Street instructor Susie Grant. They are, from left, Ryan Jackman, Simon Pacey, Malcolm Reeves and Wade Yeo. 
.3.jpg)
