There was a time when if I wanted to randomly run into my friends I would head to the pub on wing night or the Northstar on amateur night. Last night I went to a geopolitics lecture on campus and found my two housemates and my good buddy Craiger covering the event for Big Santo. The event in question was a lecture by journalist Gwynne Dyer entitled Climate Wars. The basic premise is that changing climate will put massive strain on food supplies as drought reduces production while populations continue to increase. When people start starving they will look more and more to the rich countries, which are also the one's primarily responsible for climate change, and expect change. If that doesn't come conflict will ensue. Basically we're all f*cked. It was a very uplifting...so much so that we decided to celebrate, at the pub.
It was is also interesting to note that we were able to go and enjoy a beverage on a patio downtown because we are in the midst of the warmest last September weather I can recall. It actually got up over 30 with the humidex. Global warming indeed...
On Friday night one of my most treasured streaks ended abrubtly. I had played a few hundred rugby games without breaking a bone. In one instant that streak was broken along with my nose. It was a pretty tame looking play; trying to make a tackle when I met a teammate's shoulder. It didn't bleed too bad from my nostrils but there was a little cut on top of my nose that was gushing like Old Faithful...I actually covered Coach Pacey's white shirt. Anyways, I got it straightened back out on Saturday but made sure to take a picture of the mushy nose for mom and posterity.
This picture reminds me of all of thoes American Justice shows where they show some killer's high school picture and then zoom in on just his eyes with some doomsday music playing in the background and you think "Oh look at those eyes, clearly he's a serial killer". So put on some dark music and look at this picture and tell me if I look like a serial killer. I think you'll be surprised at what you find out. See you in the crawl space.
Pace out.
Oh, and just because the 80's are hilarious here's a little gem: Sweet 'stache!
So the loonie just reached the magical mark of $1 for $1 versus the yankee dollar. For a country that tends to measure its own relevance by constant comparisons with the U.S. this is a pretty big deal. I call it the "Hey, mine's as big as yours now" corrolary. Of course it means little more then a puffed up chest for the loondog and in real economic terms is fraught with uncertainty. It's very hard on exporting and manufacturing and it's very curious that despite the strong dollar that doesn't translate into low American prices in Canadian stores. Not to mention the fact that, like it or not, our economy is so closely tied to the US economy that any long term instability south of us will translate into instability in the Great White North. Having said that this is the first time in my life as a consumer that it's been on par so it might be time for a trip to Marden's.
My treehugging hippie buddy Joel turned me on to this website today. Blackle claims to be the more energy efficient version of Google simply by swapping the ubiquitous white background with a black background and thus reducing the energy needed to light up your searches for Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears naked. There are counter-claims that state that this may not be entirely accurate (particularly if you are using an LCD monitor) but it it nevertheless a good idea of people trying to find little everyday things that we can do to cut our environmental footprint (which in my case is likely much bigger then my size 11's).
Beware though, most computers were programmed with certain hard and fast rules and one of them may be "Once you go blackle you never go backle". Maybe?
So the Blues Festival has once again come and gone. It is such a whirlwind weekend that it goes by in a flash. This year, as I did last year, I got an ultimate pass with the plan to just cruise around as much as I could checking stuff out. I didn't quite get to see everything I wanted to but I did get to most of it. Highlights included a kickass Gov't Mule show on Thursday night, the end of the Grand Theft Bus show and a really rockin' Matt Mays show on Friday night, a party with Li'l Brian and the Zydeco Travellers and a tight tight show by Dr. John on Saturday. The weekend was capped off by a completely surprising show by Montreal's DJ Champion and the G-Strings. It was like being at a huge rave with the much of the music coming from actual instruments and a girl that could really wail. I just wish I didn't have to play the next do to enjoy it a little more. Either way I was very impressed and look forward to them returning. The part I liked the most is how genuinely surprised he seemed by the response from the crowd. Who knew this little town could party like that was the look on his face. I wouldn't have known if I hadn't seen it. Which reminds me of something that strikes me at the end of each Harvest.
It really is the only weekend that the whole city lets its hair down. The whole town is abuzz and the streets are packed with people. I just wish we could make it happen two or three more time a year. Then I remember that it takes some 800 volunteers to put it on and realize that's a big ask. Fortunately, this year, we will be getting it again when the ECMA's come to town (February 7-10). Unfortunately it's in February so you probably won't be able to wander outside too much to feel the buzz but once you step into one of the many venues it will be there.
At least we don't have to wait another whole year!
Thanks to all the folks who work to put this on every year.
It's Harvest time in Freddy - the Blues Festival kicked off full-on last night with an incredible show by Gov't Mule. I'd heard a lot of their stuff but also always heard that it was their live show that converted fans. It worked for me. They played a solid 2.5 hours and gave it the whole way. They worked a sweet little Shakedown Street jam in at one point and finished the whole show with Soulshine as an encore. It was Warren Haynes that did the guitar riff on the Allman Brothers version so it was pretty awesome to see him doing it last night. Check it out:
Pretty Sweet.
There is all kinds of shows to check out tonight with the big finale being Matt Mays and El Torpedo playing the late night set in the big tent. I'm looking forward to it.
BTW - I never did get in to see the Hip. We got up there after the box office closed and none of the security folks would accept a bribe - stupid honest maritimers. The day after the show I was talking to Jackman and told him that I wasn't too disapointed as long as they didn't play Emporer Penguin because it's my favourite Hip song that I've never seen live...well fuck, they played it. They also played this:
Dammit...I'll have to make up for it by watching as much music as possible the next couple of days.
The Hip are in town tonight and I don't have any fucking tickets. They haven't been to Fredericton in 14 years and, although I have seen them 7 times, I have never seen them play here. Tickets are apparently still available but I have a rugby game and I'm not sure I'll be able to get up there before the box-office closes.
The best part is when she slaps him in the face. If you can ever pull off a prank that causes your buddy's girlfriend to slap him the face you done something right.
For the number of juvenille, sophmoric, silly bastard friends I have I am actually a little disapointed that we don't see more pranks pulled day to day. I think it's high time we started with quasi-victimless pranks. I'll start...heads up boys.
The Rugby World Cup is underway and the first game offered some excitement with the plucky Argie's beating the host French in Paris. They have had the better of the French in their recent meetings, but make no mistake, the host team, and one of the tournament favourites losing the World Cup opener is always an upset.
Speaking of upset; I'm a little upset that I'm not going to be there to watch any of the proceedings up close and personal. I had planned to but this whole home ownership thing tends to tie up the finances a little more then I am used to. There is a crew of Loyalists going over and they will surely have some great stories to tell but I will not be interested in hearing any of them because I am bitter that I'm not there.
Speaking of upsets; here's hoping that Morg and the boys can pull one out on Sunday versus the Welsh. In the words of Terry and Deaner - Giv'er boys!
I love this story. Our Man Mountain Smiling Samoan Loyalist, Lika was recently awarded the Maritimer of the Week award by ATV news along with Philip Goguen and the rest of the crew of Pumper No.2 of the MacLaren Avenue Fire Station for their role in saving the life of a Lhasa Apso named Tenzing. This fits in well with Lika's mild mannered personality but it's probably a good thing the Lhaso Apso wasn't wearing a rugby jersey or he may have tried to take its head off.
It is also awesome because Lika is ony a few years removed from his South Pacific homeland and is one of the few Islanders around here who can't cross a bridge to get home. I remember joking upon Lika's departure from his first stint here a few years ago that his assimilation into Maritime culture was going well; he was standing at the rugby club in a plaid flannel shirt drinking an Alpine. He still has a tendency to wear sarongs but he's the Maritimer of the Week now so maybe we should all follow his lead and start wearing sarongs.
There was a time when if I wanted to randomly run into my friends I would head to the pub on wing night or the Northstar on amateur night. Last night I went to a geopolitics lecture on campus and found my two housemates and my good buddy Craiger covering the event for Big Santo. The event in question was a lecture by journalist Gwynne Dyer entitled Climate Wars. The basic premise is that changing climate will put massive strain on food supplies as drought reduces production while populations continue to increase. When people start starving they will look more and more to the rich countries, which are also the one's primarily responsible for climate change, and expect change. If that doesn't come conflict will ensue. Basically we're all f*cked. It was a very uplifting...so much so that we decided to celebrate, at the pub.
