tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316682302024-03-21T21:47:11.161-04:00JOHNADAAn American in Toronto, trying to figure it all out.Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.comBlogger141125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-52051833111040076802009-02-07T12:10:00.021-05:002009-02-08T16:46:19.045-05:00CATCHING UP - Best Canadian Songs of 2008 and Lots More<span style="font-family: georgia;">So, I've missed out on some exciting stuff over the last couple of weeks, so I'm trying to catch up in one post. This is my annual review post. We're now celebrating over a year of sovereignty over our might nation.</span><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBW3wMbn_i98gsoblUydEB8XDp2a-e1bZwNkfjxmY5ewzjlsWQYfGqaSUPwkgRdL4XJHP_RqI2Soj2nX2Sd2E5CVp7UjPffc4zZtyVkOHDLoF6MBX3AM8CkZ8JpIjvz8vkDYz_g/s1600-h/3230399686_83a96dd1c5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBW3wMbn_i98gsoblUydEB8XDp2a-e1bZwNkfjxmY5ewzjlsWQYfGqaSUPwkgRdL4XJHP_RqI2Soj2nX2Sd2E5CVp7UjPffc4zZtyVkOHDLoF6MBX3AM8CkZ8JpIjvz8vkDYz_g/s200/3230399686_83a96dd1c5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300490511084129794" border="0" /></a></span></p><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >Canadian </span> <span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >Hero of the Year 2008 </span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >– No vote this time. It’s my daughter. In your face Strombodopolous.<br /></span><p style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYODyu1uLH8XZagFO_vKPd8CA4SftcghJtVQ1WzMEodlFhDxZh0Kmc46BDzgFIv0si_D_4roTBj77Jh7gL8epwgUf3jnSz3DfmbvpjMPc_i258Em96iP6zKdZMkfUK7086XJRsQ/s1600-h/stroumboulopoulos-george.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 171px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYODyu1uLH8XZagFO_vKPd8CA4SftcghJtVQ1WzMEodlFhDxZh0Kmc46BDzgFIv0si_D_4roTBj77Jh7gL8epwgUf3jnSz3DfmbvpjMPc_i258Em96iP6zKdZMkfUK7086XJRsQ/s400/stroumboulopoulos-george.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300480515750130338" border="0" /></a></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal" ><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal" ><br /></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal" face="georgia"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >Review of the</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" > crazy Canadian government thing that happened last December.</span> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal" face="georgia"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p>It was pretty exciting, and it made me feel good that I know more about how the Canadian government works than most Canadians - when the majority of parliament whether in coalition form or not decides on a leader, that's the leader. None of you people vote for the Prime Minister, you vote for your MP. Whichever party has the most MP's gets to pick the PM. If a couple of parties decide to get together to choose a PM, that's the PM. Silly Canadians, you don't live in America where people directly vote for the President.</o:p><br /><br />I predict the Steelers will win the Super Bowl and that 30 years of peace will follow.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />Slumdog Millionaire</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> - Good, but c'mon there must be 30 movies from 2008 that are better. All you really need to know is that people in India are completely indifferent and/or kind of annoyed at the movie.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br />Best Canadian Songs of 2008</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />1)<div style="width: 300px;"><object height="110" width="300"><param name="movie" value="http://media.imeem.com/m/_ot_f0ryIo/aus=false/"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://media.imeem.com/m/_ot_f0ryIo/aus=false/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="110" width="300"></embed></object><div style="padding: 1px; background-color: rgb(230, 230, 230);"><div style="padding: 4px 4px 0pt 0pt; float: left;"><a href="http://www.imeem.com/"><img src="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/E6E6E6/" border="0" /></a></div><form method="post" action="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/" style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt;"><input name="EmbedSearchBox" type="text"><input value="Search" style="font-size: 12px;" type="submit"><div style="padding-top: 3px;"><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=0&ek=_ot_f0ryIo"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/152/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=1&ek=_ot_f0ryIo"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/153/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=2&ek=_ot_f0ryIo"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/154/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=3&ek=_ot_f0ryIo"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/155/10/_ot_f0ryIo/" border="0" /></a></div></form></div></div><br /><a href="http://www.imeem.com/jukeboxmusic4/music/AGH5ZA9_/islands_kids_dont_know_shit/">Kids Dont Know Shit - Islands</a><br />This album was criminally underrated and I could really put fives songs from it on my top ten. But this is by far the most exciting song. At first, the lyrics are so completely dumb, but then they are not completely dumb. Genius.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;"><span style=";font-size:100%;" >2)</span></p><div style="width: 300px; font-family: georgia;"><object height="110" width="300"><param name="movie" value="http://media.imeem.com/m/w1CErRTo65/aus=false/"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://media.imeem.com/m/w1CErRTo65/aus=false/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="110" width="300"></embed></object><div style="padding: 1px; background-color: rgb(230, 230, 230);"><div style="padding: 4px 4px 0pt 0pt; float: left;"><a href="http://www.imeem.com/"><img src="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/E6E6E6/" border="0" /></a></div><form method="post" action="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/" style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt;"><input name="EmbedSearchBox" type="text"><input value="Search" style="font-size: 12px;" type="submit"><div style="padding-top: 3px;"><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=0&ek=w1CErRTo65"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/152/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=1&ek=w1CErRTo65"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/153/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=2&ek=w1CErRTo65"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/154/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=3&ek=w1CErRTo65"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/155/10/w1CErRTo65/" border="0" /></a></div></form></div></div><br /><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.imeem.com/independanceclub/music/PJMa_FZ1/costantines_our_age/">Our Age - COSTANTINES</a><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">A band that just plays rock n' roll. Not gimmicks or tricks. Every time I buy their albums, I think they're just okay, then three months later I can't believe how great it is. This song is one highlight.</span><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br />3)</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><div style="width: 300px; font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><object height="110" width="300"><param name="movie" value="http://media.imeem.com/m/_Lx6rLugW7/aus=false/"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://media.imeem.com/m/_Lx6rLugW7/aus=false/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="110" width="300"></embed></object></span><div style="padding: 1px; background-color: rgb(230, 230, 230);"><div style="padding: 4px 4px 0pt 0pt; float: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.imeem.com/"><img src="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/E6E6E6/" border="0" /></a></span></div><br /></div></div><br /><input style="font-family: georgia;" name="EmbedSearchBox" type="text"><input value="Search" style="font-size: 12px; font-family: georgia;" type="submit"><form method="post" action="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/" style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; font-family: georgia;"><div style="padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=0&ek=_Lx6rLugW7"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/152/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=1&ek=_Lx6rLugW7"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/153/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=2&ek=_Lx6rLugW7"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/154/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=3&ek=_Lx6rLugW7"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/155/10/_Lx6rLugW7/" border="0" /></a></span></div></form><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /><a href="http://www.imeem.com/pitchforkmedia/music/KLTUfBHd/human_highway_the_sound/">The Sound - Human Highway</a></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >Same guy from the Islands in folk mode. A fine album, but this song stands above the rest on this album.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />4) </span><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><div style="width: 300px;"><object height="110" width="300"><param name="movie" value="http://media.imeem.com/m/nxInoJQh6f/aus=false/"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://media.imeem.com/m/nxInoJQh6f/aus=false/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="110" width="300"></embed></object><div style="padding: 1px; background-color: rgb(230, 230, 230);"><div style="padding: 4px 4px 0pt 0pt; float: left;"><a href="http://www.imeem.com/"><img src="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/E6E6E6/" border="0" /></a></div><form method="post" action="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/" style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt;"><input name="EmbedSearchBox" type="text"><input value="Search" style="font-size: 12px;" type="submit"><div style="padding-top: 3px;"><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=0&ek=nxInoJQh6f"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/152/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=1&ek=nxInoJQh6f"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/153/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=2&ek=nxInoJQh6f"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/154/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=3&ek=nxInoJQh6f"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/155/10/nxInoJQh6f/" border="0" /></a></div></form></div></div><br /><a href="http://www.imeem.com/people/inoUOmE/music/MsA7_8XS/chad_vangaalen_willow_tree/">Willow Tree - Chad VanGaalen</a><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >This is a great song from an album that's full of wonderful music.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">5)</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><div style="width: 300px;"><object height="110" width="300"><param name="movie" value="http://media.imeem.com/m/OWNP2hjxhw/aus=false/"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://media.imeem.com/m/OWNP2hjxhw/aus=false/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="110" width="300"></embed></object><div style="padding: 1px; background-color: rgb(230, 230, 230);"><div style="padding: 4px 4px 0pt 0pt; float: left;"><a href="http://www.imeem.com/"><img src="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/E6E6E6/" border="0" /></a></div><form method="post" action="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/" style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt;"><input name="EmbedSearchBox" type="text"><input value="Search" style="font-size: 12px;" type="submit"><div style="padding-top: 3px;"><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=0&ek=OWNP2hjxhw"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/152/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=1&ek=OWNP2hjxhw"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/153/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=2&ek=OWNP2hjxhw"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/154/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=3&ek=OWNP2hjxhw"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/155/10/OWNP2hjxhw/" border="0" /></a></div></form></div></div><br /><a href="http://www.imeem.com/people/l6Zz-CN/music/eZ1MUw36/brendan_canning_churches_under_the_stairs/">Churches Under The Stairs - Brendan Canning</a><br />I admit that I was a little dissappointed in this album. There aren't a lot of standout rock n' roll moments that we usually see from the Broken Social Scene crowd. But this song is definitely a standout. Would have been great to see live if I hadn't dropped the tickets out of my back pocket on the way to the show. Sorry Beernada and Maynard.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >6)<br /><div style="width: 300px;"><object height="110" width="300"><param name="movie" value="http://media.imeem.com/m/05CZdTx8wp/aus=false/"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://media.imeem.com/m/05CZdTx8wp/aus=false/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="110" width="300"></embed></object><div style="padding: 1px; background-color: rgb(230, 230, 230);"><div style="padding: 4px 4px 0pt 0pt; float: left;"><a href="http://www.imeem.com/"><img src="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/E6E6E6/" border="0" /></a></div><form method="post" action="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/" style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt;"><input name="EmbedSearchBox" type="text"><input value="Search" style="font-size: 12px;" type="submit"><div style="padding-top: 3px;"><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=0&ek=05CZdTx8wp"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/152/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=1&ek=05CZdTx8wp"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/153/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=2&ek=05CZdTx8wp"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/154/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=3&ek=05CZdTx8wp"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/155/10/05CZdTx8wp/" border="0" /></a></div></form></div></div><br /><a href="http://www.imeem.com/pitchforkmedia/music/ig2MUEaa/women_black_rice/">Black Rice - Women</a></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br />Dumb band name, good song.<br /><br />7)<div style="width:300px;"><object width="300" height="110"><param name="movie" value="http://media.imeem.com/m/DUL_qO93Vu/aus=false/"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://media.imeem.com/m/DUL_qO93Vu/aus=false/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" height="110" wmode="transparent"></embed></object><div style="background-color:#E6E6E6;padding:1px;"><div style="float:left;padding:4px 4px 0 0;"><a href="http://www.imeem.com/"><img src="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/E6E6E6/" border="0" /></a></div><form method="post" action="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/" style="margin:0;padding:0;"><input type="text" name="EmbedSearchBox"><input type="submit" value="Search" style="font-size:12px;"><div style="padding-top:3px;"><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=0&ek=DUL_qO93Vu"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/152/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=1&ek=DUL_qO93Vu"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/153/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=2&ek=DUL_qO93Vu"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/154/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=3&ek=DUL_qO93Vu"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/155/10/DUL_qO93Vu/" border="0" /></a></div></form></div></div><br/><a href="http://www.imeem.com/jukeboxmusic10/music/d1Yfi7zK/land_of_talk_some_are_lakes/">Some Are Lakes - Land Of Talk</a></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />8)</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><div style="width: 300px;"><object height="110" width="300"><param name="movie" value="http://media.imeem.com/m/9qNZ2efCiL/aus=false/"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://media.imeem.com/m/9qNZ2efCiL/aus=false/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="110" width="300"></embed></object></div></span><div style="width: 300px; font-family: georgia;"><div style="padding: 1px; background-color: rgb(230, 230, 230);"><div style="padding: 4px 4px 0pt 0pt; float: left;"><a href="http://www.imeem.com/"><img src="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/E6E6E6/" border="0" /></a></div><form method="post" action="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/" style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt;"><input name="EmbedSearchBox" type="text"><input value="Search" style="font-size: 12px;" type="submit"><div style="padding-top: 3px;"><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=0&ek=9qNZ2efCiL"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/152/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=1&ek=9qNZ2efCiL"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/153/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=2&ek=9qNZ2efCiL"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/154/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=3&ek=9qNZ2efCiL"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/155/10/9qNZ2efCiL/" border="0" /></a></div></form></div></div><br /><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.imeem.com/qelliott/music/qZ2yFUqf/plants_and_animals_feedback_in_the_field/">Feedback In The Field - Plants and Animals</a><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >One of the louder songs from a Montreal band that makes great background music.<br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br />9) Sloan: Cheap Champagne<br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >I had a conversation the other day with a friend. She suggested that if I heard Sloan’s old stuff now, I would not like it because it’s too poppy. That’s definitely not true. If I heard Twice Removed or One Chord to Another now, I’d think they were a better version of Spoon. However, with the crap these guys released on their latest album Parallel Play, it makes it hard for me to be a Sloan apologist, especially the way they sucked live. This song called Cheap Champagne is pretty good however. But I couldn't find it on this imeem deal, so here's an oldie, but a goodie by the same wussy guy that my wife loves:<br /></span><div style="width: 300px; font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><object height="110" width="300"><param name="movie" value="http://media.imeem.com/m/0bubL8Q8E3/aus=false/"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://media.imeem.com/m/0bubL8Q8E3/aus=false/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="110" width="300"></embed></object></span><div style="padding: 1px; background-color: rgb(230, 230, 230);"><div style="padding: 4px 4px 0pt 0pt; float: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.imeem.com/"><img src="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/E6E6E6/" border="0" /></a></span></div><form method="post" action="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/" style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><input name="EmbedSearchBox" type="text"><input value="Search" style="font-size: 12px;" type="submit"></span><div style="padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=0&ek=0bubL8Q8E3"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/152/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=1&ek=0bubL8Q8E3"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/153/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=2&ek=0bubL8Q8E3"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/154/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=3&ek=0bubL8Q8E3"><img src="http://ads.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/155/10/0bubL8Q8E3/" border="0" /></a></span></div></form></div></div><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /><a href="http://www.imeem.com/tikasmusic/music/8Wj96vlX/sloan_the_lines_you_amend/">The Lines You Amend - Sloan</a><br /><br />10) Bicycles – </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >I’ll Wait for You</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >: A late entry in my2008 Canadian song book. A grower.<br />http://www.myspace.com/thebicycles</span><br /><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >Forgive me Canada, for I have sinned. It has been over 257 days since my last Tim Hortons.</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p>Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com80tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-46411058810881566852009-01-10T21:18:00.004-05:002009-01-11T03:32:39.285-05:00OH CANADA - So Young, So InnocentThese are the headlines making news across Canada tonight:<br /><br />-<a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/568859"><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder_article_NavWebPart_Article_ctl00___Title__" class="headlineArticle">Obama to visit Canada first</span></a><br />-<a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090110.wobama0110/BNStory/International/home" title="Posted: Saturday, Jan 10 2009 at 6:02 PM EST - Aides confirm president-elect will head north soon after his inauguration">Obama to visit Canada in first foreign trip</a><br />-<a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/Technology/Obama+first+foreign+visit+Canada/1164013/story.html"><span>Obama to visit Canada on first foreign trip as president</span></a><br />-<a href="http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1099952.html" class="front_stories-headlink">Deformities threaten moose</a><br /><br />Okay that last one is from Nova Scotia, where they are worried about real Canadian issues. But as for the rest of Canada, good thing they're not worried about the gigantic recession, the parliamentary crisis or the war in Afghanistan. Nope, not of that matters, because Obama's coming!<br /><br />Anyway, Obama's officially invited to Degrassi Street, but we might get him <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRx4qpZ9u2I">pregnant</a> or offer him <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prYpCLiwJhA">drugs</a>. That's how we do things here.Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-68856728803940094832009-01-07T23:21:00.013-05:002009-01-08T08:39:29.476-05:00The officiALE of 1.20.09: OBAMAle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB4Cj9MlqAqA9xwclf3hNmQ5tFV9T7AfpU7vSrpD6zmvas5EcHerWXYWLLbVb1Y4USvU5emB5-NS0wZwB4spJ_BrSQi2-5tNn3juT1Sju0pFxn7rRjm80vG2F5u1YAnw3J20sW/s1600-h/OBAMAle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 274px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB4Cj9MlqAqA9xwclf3hNmQ5tFV9T7AfpU7vSrpD6zmvas5EcHerWXYWLLbVb1Y4USvU5emB5-NS0wZwB4spJ_BrSQi2-5tNn3juT1Sju0pFxn7rRjm80vG2F5u1YAnw3J20sW/s400/OBAMAle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288777485795777954" border="0" /></a>We announce the selection of the officially endorsed BEERNADA'S BEER OF THE CENTURY to celebrate and symbolize <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/us/politics/05campaign.html?fta=y">the dawn of a new era of American politics</a>. Royalwe agonized over the decision between two of the obvious contenders for some weeks now, but since it has come to my attention that neither <a href="http://www.molson.com/">Molson</a> or <a href="http://www.labatt.com/">Labatt's</a> is American, a third brew had to be considered. Consequentely, the offcial selection of the officiALE is Hair of the Dog's OBAMAle. But seeing as this exceedingly talented Portland, OR brewery doesn't make that beer, we accept <a href="http://www.hairofthedog.com/ruth-detail.html">Hair of the Dog's Ruth American Ale</a> to be a superb alternative and the recommended patriotic libation worthy of quaffing on 1.20.09 ............and for several days thereafter.Zak Aromyceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07123679876947596416noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-43007927608897140182008-12-03T08:00:00.001-05:002008-12-03T08:00:01.106-05:00Beernada: L.C.B.O.G.U.S.Apparently <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholic_beverages_in_Sweden">state controlled liquor retail works for the Swedes</a>. Yet, I think this is one area where Americapitalism mostly gets it right. Put the kids to bed before scrolling down to see what the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (L.C.B.O.) brings to its citizens...viewer discretion is advised.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-6OKPd-4hmamWn_JaOZrVvV2O9tJcZAdT0WNVBTsQSoezy5y7KeQ65BrsAdUd8yR5RykiYBO5GQHJQpOq3BZQ1xMkQvw7mml-bXhSOJChp7WyOEW89hWme2Spqzaa0ch_tJb/s1600-h/DSC_0010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-6OKPd-4hmamWn_JaOZrVvV2O9tJcZAdT0WNVBTsQSoezy5y7KeQ65BrsAdUd8yR5RykiYBO5GQHJQpOq3BZQ1xMkQvw7mml-bXhSOJChp7WyOEW89hWme2Spqzaa0ch_tJb/s320/DSC_0010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274638428393724226" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujlQV2fe7e5LM10SpJsSG-fnZUrl2Um3sQaMBiF8EBs1rpMqgscYJCmerqV6S6KSpQutHGunafQGDcRQpgRfCXs85Qhwqmq_G6VYvTwx3DuO42poXX02qjOqq7-FrC1FotoiY/s1600-h/DSC_0005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujlQV2fe7e5LM10SpJsSG-fnZUrl2Um3sQaMBiF8EBs1rpMqgscYJCmerqV6S6KSpQutHGunafQGDcRQpgRfCXs85Qhwqmq_G6VYvTwx3DuO42poXX02qjOqq7-FrC1FotoiY/s320/DSC_0005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274638148169863362" border="0" /></a>Zak Aromyceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07123679876947596416noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-66720204997318279752008-11-27T13:56:00.008-05:002008-11-27T14:20:10.422-05:00HAPPY THANKSGIVING - I Give Up!When I found out the first lady was with child, I was determined not to make this blog into a baby blog. I wanted to maintain my quality analysis of the deep-seeded animosity between Canada and the USA. But I've quickly learned that none of that matters to anyone else. They want baby pictures. Now! So without further delay, here is what I am most thankful for on this American Thanksgiving Day -<br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZkvoG2FRXmW9UM3FUknxDdS83Lhn9ei-yKFmSKCkdWcwUJOV9jBXuEvM5__Ua2EpFCIbj51N7if0ElUcOX6TKtR_pcswO4roDnGduQB1weJGbf6D8Pz9XqhQCliGFWTohIoPiw/s1600-h/2991839170_fd0c627ef9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZkvoG2FRXmW9UM3FUknxDdS83Lhn9ei-yKFmSKCkdWcwUJOV9jBXuEvM5__Ua2EpFCIbj51N7if0ElUcOX6TKtR_pcswO4roDnGduQB1weJGbf6D8Pz9XqhQCliGFWTohIoPiw/s400/2991839170_fd0c627ef9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273417512536827954" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG_khrWN6hkKtukIcBe_f7G344wA3apnu3Z7D4RcSTB5UQ_mn4Dhceb2Yy4RbC-Rk4_IJ3BEV_sAZ7Cx496Rx5YgAkSzjxDqZtK9rYJ_NwDghnzd1gMtnaRu7bkYsEACgxSzfBIg/s1600-h/2956260699_2f140eb8e6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG_khrWN6hkKtukIcBe_f7G344wA3apnu3Z7D4RcSTB5UQ_mn4Dhceb2Yy4RbC-Rk4_IJ3BEV_sAZ7Cx496Rx5YgAkSzjxDqZtK9rYJ_NwDghnzd1gMtnaRu7bkYsEACgxSzfBIg/s400/2956260699_2f140eb8e6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273417960739289714" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0ARnZF4msvOQY3atPxjXUzcv3Jpn4_lMO3lp-DmBCNMi1t2bNAWL34Ku0-gRN-1OXpRHAaBHAMQRYJl3BrOurKRrYKcjPFghgayBL-cFCku3gFFnYXNrt1D5-AcfH33o9JMFuA/s1600-h/3016029780_b5aa511611_m.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0ARnZF4msvOQY3atPxjXUzcv3Jpn4_lMO3lp-DmBCNMi1t2bNAWL34Ku0-gRN-1OXpRHAaBHAMQRYJl3BrOurKRrYKcjPFghgayBL-cFCku3gFFnYXNrt1D5-AcfH33o9JMFuA/s400/3016029780_b5aa511611_m.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273417327410142626" border="0" /></a>If you're still not satisfied, please feel free to go here for gobs more, constantly updated photos - <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/31348821@N03/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/31348821@N03/</a><br /></div>Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-46238168937642241432008-11-19T16:42:00.014-05:002008-11-23T16:09:27.622-05:00THERE WAS AN ELECTION? I voted for cheese!Where have you been Johnada? Truthfully, babies make lives busy.<br /><br />So my dwindling readership (hello there Bob!) has asked for the Johnadian government's official response to the U.S. election, a topic that hasn't been covered in the media and blogosphere enough. As the head of state of a sovereign nation, I had to wait to see that all results were in before I could give my opinions. Hate to start off on the wrong foot with the new neighbours. Here are some quick thoughts:<br /><br />1) Still can't believe the final result, very pleasing for a new father to witness.<br />2) Except in California and all those other states were they decided to be a-holes again. Someone please give me well-thought comment on why people getting married affects your life negatively.<br />3) Canadians were a lot more interested in the U.S. election than their own. With good reason:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-RyUq3kXXwxPlfhLu6MCzqxX8stwvqxWI894KtMwbG2TcQdp7g8RQ02gcW537wJPuRnPeuVaYERPnZJ5Bi12PoC9293SfmzBF4NjwMFcjt39aoadAYT9HyiFvHSjruq-ODMqyg/s1600-h/pmphoto1.jpg"><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271926643707744738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 134px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-RyUq3kXXwxPlfhLu6MCzqxX8stwvqxWI894KtMwbG2TcQdp7g8RQ02gcW537wJPuRnPeuVaYERPnZJ5Bi12PoC9293SfmzBF4NjwMFcjt39aoadAYT9HyiFvHSjruq-ODMqyg/s200/pmphoto1.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br />4) Indiana went blue, and I know this result doesn't help my Hoosier father sleep at night.<br />5) Can we please wait until Obama and whoever he sees fit to put in his cabinet actually do something before we judge them?<br />6) Guantanamo has got to go.<br />7) I wonder if my ballot is one of the ones they are fighting over in the <a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2008/11/19_challenged_ballots/">MN recount</a>. I voted for Al Franken and cheese.<br />8) Any Republicans disappointed in the outcome, have you thought about <a href="http://correresmidestino.com/how-to-immigrate-in-canada/">moving to Canada</a>? We've got a conservative Prime Minister, a deteriorating envrionmental policy and each day brings more private health care. <p><br />I'm predicting Montreal in the <a href="http://johnada.blogspot.com/2007/11/are-you-ready-for-some-canadian.html">96th Grey Cup</a> tonight. Stay tuned around here, Senor Beernada has been exploring Toronto beef lately, causing speculation that he may be writing a Beefnada column soon. We'll also be reviewing some more Canadian stuff. Hooray for Canada.</p>Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-83655658329727897672008-11-02T16:22:00.012-05:002008-11-03T18:08:18.934-05:00HALLOWEEN 08 - Crazy Kids of DeGrassi<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZf5XGZQyxT9I6fbDRGKx9_4oufr0Fy9_b4pce0fkuxN004cUy0tpfyLJHBaf4ZqFWLLLe6i3xn_SRyGZW5sLE_OrUl12aC8kvxCyaywIzaPpERJdI1O1qt5Lx1P7NC7-huyCbsQ/s1600-h/2991839656_c7c9dfab73.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZf5XGZQyxT9I6fbDRGKx9_4oufr0Fy9_b4pce0fkuxN004cUy0tpfyLJHBaf4ZqFWLLLe6i3xn_SRyGZW5sLE_OrUl12aC8kvxCyaywIzaPpERJdI1O1qt5Lx1P7NC7-huyCbsQ/s400/2991839656_c7c9dfab73.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264246010416355826" border="0" /></a><br />Well, as you may imagine, the last couple of weeks have been quite busy in the land of Johnada. Sorry for the lack of updates, but I've been enjoying my bambino in my spare time.<br /><br />This past Friday night we had our first Halloween on De Grassi Street. It was much better than <a href="http://johnada.blogspot.com/2007/10/halloween-in-toronto-as-far-as-i-can.html">last year</a> -- we had a ton of trick or treaters. So many that I had to start giving out my Cubs candy bars that my mom gave me to celebrate the baby and the possibility of a Cubs World Series. (As you can imagine, the baby really made me forget about the Cubs chokery.)<br /><br />The kids were dressed as spiders, ghosts, witches, Marge Simpson and a lot of other cool costumes. Later in the night, some kids came by holding a basketball. I gave them some good candy, because I appreciate the lack of effort. That was how I rolled in my later years.<br /><br />We even had some trick or treaters come by at 10:15. That's way too late in Johnada, though I did answer the door. I can't believe any body hands out candy that late. We also had a rogue group of 14 year-old boys that were raising hell on the street earlier. They rolled a wet tire in front of our place. And like the old man that I have become in the last four weeks, I yelled at them that they'd better move it. One of them even did it. Only in Canada.<br /><br />Generally, everyone is doing well. The lack of sleep has not been that bad, although I must admit that I don't have it bad as the First Lady. I lack certain amenities.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Any Americans out there who read this, I don't think I need to say it, but please vote for Obama. Please! And Dad, I know you're not going to vote for Obama, but hopefully you'll come to realize he's not a communist terrorist. At least until he nationalizes grocery stores and blows them all up on inauguration day.</span><br /><br />And to celebrate the election, here's the perfect Clash song:<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zyUsJWO-7jM&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zyUsJWO-7jM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-89800438357034894762008-10-10T21:26:00.004-04:002008-10-10T21:59:24.358-04:00CANADIAN HEROES: Esme "Essie" Fay Johnada<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ljR2O8v_jxB9_6bxgyFnhAM7Yx6qaonKwrWrzGeIuR-kcob-PES7xAR6KTVCgroKzJdVKt-j8dFX3YIbKpNhkNZgGta2IKwC8di5jtC_Wy2ZuUfsyRGni8YSOsbheqJY22Vm0Q/s1600-h/esme+and+dad%27s+finger.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ljR2O8v_jxB9_6bxgyFnhAM7Yx6qaonKwrWrzGeIuR-kcob-PES7xAR6KTVCgroKzJdVKt-j8dFX3YIbKpNhkNZgGta2IKwC8di5jtC_Wy2ZuUfsyRGni8YSOsbheqJY22Vm0Q/s400/esme+and+dad%27s+finger.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255706436118433362" border="0" /></a>Our latest Canadian Hero is one if Canada's newest citizens. (She's also a citizen of the U.S. and Johnada, of course.) Don't have a lot of time to talk, because of things like poo, but the Royal Cargo came a little early. She had to stay in the hospital a little longer than we wanted, (luckily Canada has a better health care plan than Johnada). But she's doing great now, no longer getting supplemented by my finger, adding weight by the day. Her name is Esme, but she's going by Essie for a while. She probably won't like it when I call her that in front of her first boyfriend.<br /><br />P.S. For all the French people out there, don't be mad at me for the lack of accent on the second e, that was the First Lady decision.Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com148tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-59853627098079467052008-10-01T10:16:00.008-04:002008-10-01T13:05:33.068-04:00ROCKTOBER 08 - Bald Baby Bears<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkEl_1vst17ESPvBrnXkUSu8ZOcvnI6eQ8erAIsP5zaK_pg3xIl6x5JfS_q86f3Zu35HTCcHj3vMTk6VTMvIhgQmrMKhdLoM8Y_dfyumaiwoK4yiyhy751lgsu7j1QE-x51hMsA/s1600-h/images.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252206596135405618" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="98" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkEl_1vst17ESPvBrnXkUSu8ZOcvnI6eQ8erAIsP5zaK_pg3xIl6x5JfS_q86f3Zu35HTCcHj3vMTk6VTMvIhgQmrMKhdLoM8Y_dfyumaiwoK4yiyhy751lgsu7j1QE-x51hMsA/s200/images.jpg" width="68" border="0" /></a>If you'll allow me to indulge for a post, I'd like to talk about the exciting month that is starting today. I've always enjoyed October, with it's crisp winds, nice foliage, seasonal squash, fresh apples and hallowed weens, but this has the makings of a really good one.<br /><ul><li><em>It will most likely include the birth of my first child (if it doesn't the First Lady is going to be very uncomfortable on November 1 -- 10 days after her due date).</em></li><br /><li><em>It will hopefully include a big lead for Obama going into the last week of the election.</em></li><br /><li><em>It will hopefully not include a majority Conservative government in Canada.</em></li><br /><li><em>And it will maybe, possibly, perhaps, mayhap, perchance, dare I dream, include the first World Series Title for the Chicago Cubs since 1908.</em></li><br /><li><em>Other exciting October events: Canadian Thanksgiving, a new album one of my favourite music type things (Crooked Fingers), National Pizza Month (my favourite food), </em><a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/413875/october_14th_is_bald_and_free_day_.html?cat=60"><em>Be Bald and Be Free Day</em></a><em> is Oct. 14 (and it's the full moon), Halloween and the <strong>1st Anniversary of Johnada</strong>!</em></li></ul><p>Honestly, if we get a healthy baby out of the deal, everything else will be icing, but it's still has a chance to be a very memorable time.</p><p>Tonight it all begins in exciting fashion with the Cubs first playoff game.</p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>P.S. - Remember that it's never too early to start thinking about what to send Johnada for Be Bald and Be Free Day. And no you can't buy me a hat.</em></span></p>Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-33424002945507773672008-09-24T17:12:00.017-04:002008-09-24T19:26:08.463-04:00CANADA, GET TO KNOW YOUR CANDIDATESLast week, we talked about somebody's push to get Barack Obama elected Prime Minister of Canada. That ain't going to happen. So for all you Canadians out there who don't know enough about your candidates, here's a handy guide from an American who's not voting, and not entirely sure why the process works the way it does. We base our evaluations on the three features that we figure our most important to Canadians - what's their position on donuts, hockey and children.<br /><br />Your welcome.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Steven</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zZjzLDcQ7dUKewBFg4NFLwcDcrKuJyHK9TMV1GzzIqQgp45pz5-59ga3b9CYgDEPMKmu_6OmKH5uk-8CVpf-SZGoImqiEm44KDtBoxZgioY6HX4vKdq8uSormfFhX6N9lMQgFA/s1600-h/stephen-steven+harper.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 67px; height: 95px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zZjzLDcQ7dUKewBFg4NFLwcDcrKuJyHK9TMV1GzzIqQgp45pz5-59ga3b9CYgDEPMKmu_6OmKH5uk-8CVpf-SZGoImqiEm44KDtBoxZgioY6HX4vKdq8uSormfFhX6N9lMQgFA/s200/stephen-steven+harper.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249717045859081298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Harper</span> - <span style="font-style: italic;">Conservative Party</span> - We always watch the Daily Show at 11, and his commercials come on during it. Here's what I know about him - he loves sweater vests and he has young kids. So those are two big plusses. He also loves hockey. Apparently he's been working on a book about its history. I don't know his official policy on donuts, but apparently the guy who used to own Tim Hortons doesn't like him. That is not a good thing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Step</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTYZX8Xl0FQD2QbAjPytKhAZIB1xzdoBI9zhLMQRGmzV81ynAw6tx6ngVpFliH194dJyzsWjdZ9jCRZHfs7AhvfusRCzCCt9LvvkxqGmEwadvG9Id6CTivQWQKRWdCSyxhXRH4Q/s1600-h/Dion.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 67px; height: 96px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTYZX8Xl0FQD2QbAjPytKhAZIB1xzdoBI9zhLMQRGmzV81ynAw6tx6ngVpFliH194dJyzsWjdZ9jCRZHfs7AhvfusRCzCCt9LvvkxqGmEwadvG9Id6CTivQWQKRWdCSyxhXRH4Q/s200/Dion.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249716817941248690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">hane Dion</span> - <span style="font-style: italic;">Liberal Party</span> - He's French Canadian, he has a funny accent, and there's this one picture that the Conservatives keep showing of him where he looks all confused. I've never seen any commercials where he talks about his kids. He's doomed. Or at least he was until this weekend, when Harper compared is environmental/economic (the so-called Green Shift) plan to Tim Hortons Donuts. That's big points for Dion. Also, he loves hockey too. In fact, the Liberals started a website where they show him playing floor hockey. You have to subtract some points for it being floor hockey, but I don't think there's any video of Harper playing any kind of hockey.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jac</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5NlhoyP0qkUPbZGny9PTohNaodToy7GrPuC6AiOb83-DsHCMogTsCcaTE59CugLPnZQmFh48kzKVXp1AKB0avl6xqpigmybm0KEaXBkiTz0Im9gH9fiA_P4jtkJhz-bFbm2qKA/s1600-h/jack_layton.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 71px; height: 86px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5NlhoyP0qkUPbZGny9PTohNaodToy7GrPuC6AiOb83-DsHCMogTsCcaTE59CugLPnZQmFh48kzKVXp1AKB0avl6xqpigmybm0KEaXBkiTz0Im9gH9fiA_P4jtkJhz-bFbm2qKA/s200/jack_layton.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249716615271669538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">k Layton </span>- <span style="font-style: italic;">New Democrats Party</span> - (For full disclosure, he represents our new riding on DeGrassi Street.*) I don't know if he has kids, but I saw him up close and personal before a rally for something I had to do for work. He was wearing a lot of makeup, so points off for that. I know all politicians have to do this for the cameras, but he's the only one I've ever seen up close. And I'm also not sure about donuts, but he looks like a lot of the guys I see coming out of Tim Hortons every morning, so that's a good sign. He uses hockey metaphors in his speeches (but I'm sure all good Canadian politicians do this). And he did chime in on the recent <a href="http://johnada.blogspot.com/2008/06/who-cares-about-hockey-night-theme-song.html">Hockey Night in Canada Theme Song Controversy</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eliza</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_41br7N8NTXz4kSa_n3CiNN_DI_7ZxmOdb8Ea8FwGtmETT_wmVqBO9qDfkb8D176IIu8lHKeuc2Z8KRFyvPPb-1xC_WF34qFbV7u-1-v5Yh_Ac5ufQs9i45WRg20S2HRDEsVqGQ/s1600-h/398px-Elizabeth_May.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 69px; height: 105px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_41br7N8NTXz4kSa_n3CiNN_DI_7ZxmOdb8Ea8FwGtmETT_wmVqBO9qDfkb8D176IIu8lHKeuc2Z8KRFyvPPb-1xC_WF34qFbV7u-1-v5Yh_Ac5ufQs9i45WRg20S2HRDEsVqGQ/s200/398px-Elizabeth_May.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249716316312760258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">beth May</span> - <span style="font-style: italic;">Green Party</span> - Again not sure, if she has any kids. Don't these politicians understand the family game? If you don't have kids, hire some for the campaign. As for hockey, I did find a press release with her talking about the low standards for hockey helmets in Canada. I guess that's either positive or negative depending on whether you're old school or not. Recently, she had a rally at the Hockey Hall of Fame - BIG points for that. However, there are not photos of here drinking a beer/grass smoothie out of the Stanley Cup. That would be worth at least three points in the polls. As far as I can tell, she has no official Donut Policy, but I've got to assume she favours organic donuts.<br /><br />In my official duties as El Presidente, I will have to interact with all of these wonderful candidates, so unfortunately, I can not endorse any candidate. You'll just have to decide based on the information I've provided.<br /><br />*Riding is Canadian for political zone. It may have had something to do with riding horses to vote or something. You can make all kinds of juvenile jokes about this term, but I will refrain.Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-36810626771580937452008-09-16T07:45:00.003-04:002008-09-16T15:07:15.908-04:00CANADIAN HEROES - Whoever Did This<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9UMvVjg172Nu7NrQJziie1XzdZCN1fYBKr9hrT3ZKZ2XdL9-MFpbehrspOBodqUGAK10MaMeYUC6o-BjWwrPcMkFJTkTDZkebjVuGBf2JF5FaoDlQefgIl9VglPoK20Hoxftng/s1600-h/obamabanner1.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9UMvVjg172Nu7NrQJziie1XzdZCN1fYBKr9hrT3ZKZ2XdL9-MFpbehrspOBodqUGAK10MaMeYUC6o-BjWwrPcMkFJTkTDZkebjVuGBf2JF5FaoDlQefgIl9VglPoK20Hoxftng/s200/obamabanner1.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246643885740317538" /></a><br /><br />These people are even more confused than we are, and we can get excited about that. They have decided that the next Prime Minister of Canada should be Barack Obama - <a href="http://barackobamaforpm.blogspot.com/">Barack Obama for Prime Minister</a>. Apparently the site was started because a poll of Canadians showed that Obama would defeat all other Canadian PM candidates, included the current Prime Minster, Stephen Harper. This is really going to stop all those nasty rumours that Canadians have America envy.<br /><br />Unfortunately, I can't get behind the platform, because Johnada only votes for Johnada for Prime Minister. And really, I can't vote for Prime Minister. And America needs Obama a LOT more than Canada. Really! <br /><br />But I appreciate the effort, and for that whoever created the site is our latest Canadian Hero. I respect anyone who's willing to create a site for Obama, especially those that follow through (<a href="http://www.grandmasforobama.com">unlike me</a>).<br /><br />P.S. For all you Americans and other non-Canadians that read this site, there's also an election going on in Canada right now. It's kind of scary because the current Prime Minister (who kind of sucks) may get a majority government. What's a majority government, you ask? Well, we'll talk more about this in the upcoming weeks, I suppose, you silly Americans who don't know anything about countries that aren't America.Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-20659713580296363152008-09-10T19:54:00.009-04:002008-09-13T09:58:33.315-04:00I LIVE ON DEGRASS STREET- And I Rock Out to the Zit Remedy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpU5gTdpDPI4FwGayFZSfMFAeUNJdaaBrYifTEn59plxz6Gz0KW2MuRrbSkNM3C9UheoH_lGj4QQAtrUySHdawHxCsQo1TTv-98vNFHim0CoE8mUz3OIF3tR0LgTd1Yhb3U0qSg/s1600-h/KidsOfDegrassiStreet.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244783782388303266" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpU5gTdpDPI4FwGayFZSfMFAeUNJdaaBrYifTEn59plxz6Gz0KW2MuRrbSkNM3C9UheoH_lGj4QQAtrUySHdawHxCsQo1TTv-98vNFHim0CoE8mUz3OIF3tR0LgTd1Yhb3U0qSg/s320/KidsOfDegrassiStreet.jpg" border="0" /></a> Probably the biggest reason I haven't been around lately is due to our move. We relocated to a bigger place in a more pedestrian friendly neighbourhood due to the pending arrival of the royal cargo. So, it's goodbye to <a href="http://www.woodbine-gerrard.com/sponsors/jimmysplace/">Jimmy's Place</a> and hello to <a href="http://www.chow.com/places/11413">Jimmy's Place</a>. We still live in Toronto, but we now live on what is basically a national landmark in Canada - DeGrassi St. Yes, the DeGrassi St! (If you don't know why this is awesome, than you obviously did not grow up in the U.S. or Canada in 80's or today. Degrassi Junior High/High is a monumental Canadian show.)<br /><br />First of all, DeGrassi is not that big of a street. It is really only a couple of blocks long, connecting Queen St to Gerrard St. The series was named after our street because the creators lived around here and used the exteriors for shooting the first incarnation, called "Kids of Degrassi Street". (For some reason, they don't capitolize the "G" in their version.)<br /><br />Everybody asks me what the school is like. Unfortunately, there is no school on DeGrassi St. Apparently, they filmed some of the school scenes in a school a block away, before relocating to other areas of town.<br /><br />There are definitely a lot of kids on Degrassi St (soon to be one more). I'm always amazed by how many strollers roll down our little street. And lots of dogs too. Plus a cat named Lilly who is brave enough to come in our place with no reservations, despite the protests of Balki. Overall, it's a great street. In fact, miracle of miracles, there's not a Tim Hortons anywhere close. For that, I give it 5 Hortons.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/d57D2MSSFzk&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/d57D2MSSFzk&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-87379084836527959602008-09-09T12:23:00.006-04:002008-09-09T12:37:19.018-04:00WHY I DON'T LIKE SARAH PALIN - It's Not as Obvious as You ThinkActually, It May Be Fairly Obvious<br /><br />Anyone who's knows me or has read this blog in the past could probably guess that I would be no fan of Sarah Palin, but the main reason I don't like her is supposedly her biggest draw - she reminds me of people I know.<br /><br />In my time in the U.S., I worked with many different Sarah Palins, and they are insufferable. This is not a woman thing. Of the two people I'm specifically remembering for being especially Palinesque, one was a man. I don't need to know any more about Sarah Palin to know she's just like these people.<br /><br />Here's their calling card:<br />- They would complain if you listend to music at work, but have not problem cranking Christian radio. And let me tell you, Christian radio is bad.<br />- They're total hypocrites (I know, it's shocking). They talk about their Christian values in one moment, then make an off color joke the next. Johnada is no saint, but he's never pretended to be one (except that one time he played a priest Off Broadway).<br />- They assume you want to hear about their wonderful experience at church last week.<br />- They love <a href="http://www.larrythecableguy.com/">Larry the Cable Guy</a>. (I've got twenty dollars that says the Palins own at least two of his CDs.<br />- They smell funny.<br /><br />I admit this is totally superficial, but the way the polls are going, that seems to be how Americans decide to vote.<br /><br />(Thanks to Beaverboosh for inspiring me to write this.)Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-2629268042871741282008-09-07T18:54:00.005-04:002008-09-08T10:06:13.736-04:00WELCOME TO CANADA COCOA KRISPIES<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35kGwXDMnj5b_gg93-J7sIS8fUsxuLGfHJvVuvu5_e9dbZ87Ek38Dfh1P2-GQgPUPg4NYF2JC04omWdDAP3ONsQizKnwHgzRWCfY6Ts8YTnsYydRG1Xqj4ivamgX4p40kFEOEcw/s1600-h/fileBlob.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243419098759406418" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35kGwXDMnj5b_gg93-J7sIS8fUsxuLGfHJvVuvu5_e9dbZ87Ek38Dfh1P2-GQgPUPg4NYF2JC04omWdDAP3ONsQizKnwHgzRWCfY6Ts8YTnsYydRG1Xqj4ivamgX4p40kFEOEcw/s320/fileBlob.gif" border="0" /></a>OR SHOULD I SAY RICE KRISPIES COCOA<br /><br />Much to the dismay the The First Lady, they've only just introduced her favourite kind of cereal to Canada. In the U.S., we've had the potent sugary chocolate satisfaction that comes from Cocoa Krispies since my childhood. However, for some dumb reason they didn't have them in Canada before about two months ago. But when they introduced, them they didn't call them Cocoa Krispies, as they rightly should have. Instead they call them, Rice Krispies Cocoa. And they're definitely not as chocolately as they are in the States. Oh why, have you done this to my very pregnant wife Canada? All she wants is some good Cocoa Krispies and you go and taunt her like this.<br /><br />Rice Krispies Cocoa get 2 Hortons. Good idea, bad execution.<br /><br />P.S. The last couple of months have been a little extreme in the busy department, so I haven't been around here or there much.Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-5456569045669738042008-08-04T20:46:00.003-04:002008-08-04T20:54:00.637-04:00BREAKING NEWS - All Hot Dogs, All the TimeWell, it's been an insane couple of weeks. I have been back to the States every weekend, with different destinations each time. The travel has been quite harrowing at times. We reached a new low when we got stuck in New York City on Friday night due to a missed flight. FYI - The Clarion by LeGaurdia is a dump, and it costs $200 a night. Thanks American Airlines!<br /><br />Anyway, enough bitching, I am proud to announce that my mother got me a hot dog toaster for my birhtday! It's is so very exciting! Why would anybody want such a specific thing, you ask? Well, why not? I mean we have toasters for bread, so why not for hot dogs. Best present ever.Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-31450145931443065042008-07-21T20:23:00.005-04:002008-07-21T21:30:29.146-04:00CROSSING THE BORDER - Sneaking People Across is Easy! (All You Need is a Uterus)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1EUE6I9OB163SFNkCQbXIuHyDDWVh8PPYcEs52M0CWTXREIpAtS1PlHppWIpKRTTK-C2hhNiDF-7bZdmcBti6eDai79HXDdTk8-_WyRLg7qdCVDjl_IAqXF6yDSFXWaZd42cgsQ/s1600-h/7315042d.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1EUE6I9OB163SFNkCQbXIuHyDDWVh8PPYcEs52M0CWTXREIpAtS1PlHppWIpKRTTK-C2hhNiDF-7bZdmcBti6eDai79HXDdTk8-_WyRLg7qdCVDjl_IAqXF6yDSFXWaZd42cgsQ/s200/7315042d.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225642429708681666" border="0" /></a>Last weekend was Baby Shower #1 of three. This one was held by the familia de Johnada, and it was quite a success. My sisters planned a great event, and we got all kinds of wonderful things (including <a href="http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780064433488/Leo_the_Late_Bloomer/index.aspx">my favourite book</a> when I was a kid, an awesome hand-knitted sweater and a personalized onesie). Now I have to drive home next weekend to get everything.<br /><br />It was fun to see everyone -- for the three minutes I was allowed to be there, at least. Showers are for womenfolk. So I did what I was supposed to do, I went with Maymard to a bar.<br /><br />Do they have baby showers in Canada? I'm pretty sure they do.<br /><br />But let's talk about the border crossing. In Toronto, you technically cross into the U.S. in the airport, so you actually go through U.S. customs before you get on the plane. Good thing we got to the airport early, because we waited in line for over an hour. It was literally out the door. Long waits at airports turn me into a very hard-to-like person, and I pretty much hate everyone else around me. I almost arm wrestled a 75 year-old Italian woman, but the First Lady managed to reel me in.<br /><br />When I finally got to the customs agent, I was relieved. Until I looked at him. He was gigantic, with big moustache and tattoos everywhere. He looked at my passport and asked if I was going home. I said yes. Then he asked how Chicago could be home if I listed a Toronto address as my residence. I said that depends on your definition of home. He was not amused. Then I said, "Well, I always consider America home, you know." I'm getting better at this stuff. Next time, I'm going to spray paint the flag on my bald head.<br /><br />Then we went through security where a woman was literally wanding people while talking on her cell phone. Needless to say it took forever! And the alarm kept going off when she scanned the crotches of men. Mine didn't set it off. I wonder if that's good or bad?<br /><br />After all this we made it to the plane on time. Then we taxied to the runway and sat there for an hour and a half. Good thing I had SkyMall to keep me company. As you can probably guess from the picture above, I'm totally ordering the <a href="http://www.skymall.com/shopping/detail.htm?pid=7315042">Pop-Up Hot Dog Cooker</a>.<br /><br />On Sunday, our flight got cancelled, so we ended up getting home at 2 am. Thanks United Airlines!<br /><br />United Airlines: -1 Hortons (my first negative ever)<br />My mother and sisters: 5 Hortons<br />People who bought (and made) us all the unbelievable stuff (technically rewarding us for fornicating): 5 Hortons<br /><br />And it the spirit of my friend JT's probably expired blog, my jam of the week:<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xpcUxwpOQ_A&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xpcUxwpOQ_A&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-33534251999197092072008-07-15T00:01:00.000-04:002008-07-15T00:01:01.377-04:00BEERNADA defects<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://pages.infinit.net/andreroy/TripleToisonDor.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://pages.infinit.net/andreroy/TripleToisonDor.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>After a truly disappointing appearance at Bar Volo during Pride weekend, where they only served four draught beers (mostly Mill Street, if I can recall correctly) in PLASTIC cups (wtf?!...I doubt Volo will see my patronage again), I decided to switch teams. Today is the Victory's Cask Ale Festival, and I'm going in drag. While you wait impatiently for my review of the offerings from the casks, I invite you to check out my Beer Advocate post on Toison d'or, a marvelous Belgian beer from the Het Anker brewery in Mechelen (the same town Duvel is brewed in!):<br /><br />http://beeradvocate.com/user/profile/Beernada<br /><br />The dog days of summer are here, so stop tom-catting around and lap up some brews!<br /><br />-Zak AromycesZak Aromyceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07123679876947596416noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-37181760742773965022008-07-12T12:26:00.005-04:002008-07-13T12:03:18.873-04:00STOP KICKING ME - An Update on the Royal Cargo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzb6tSUCyx2kR_Rv2ByiDNntZOzjKUsIHzRA9ggauWXZraZiFUA9mb_qqmYbaIOO9zhzB0Qh8lLODGRBrejYtPfYYv5xjkKYgBsEEyDHbIHejjmx2uHeG1hXg5BxAqAtNeGxxY4w/s1600-h/steinbaby2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzb6tSUCyx2kR_Rv2ByiDNntZOzjKUsIHzRA9ggauWXZraZiFUA9mb_qqmYbaIOO9zhzB0Qh8lLODGRBrejYtPfYYv5xjkKYgBsEEyDHbIHejjmx2uHeG1hXg5BxAqAtNeGxxY4w/s200/steinbaby2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222528916577298146" border="0" /></a>We've tried very hard not to turn this Canadian blog into a screed about pregnancy and child birth, but indulge me if you will.<br /><br />We're almost three months away from the due date, and I've got a few observations that I need to get off my chest:<br /><br />1) Baby books make child birth and child rearing sound very depressing.<br />-Your baby won't recognize you for a month.<br />- It will cry all the time.<br />- You'll never sleep.<br />- It's normal to be very frustrated with your baby<br />I know all this stuff already, largely because I've got three older sisters with children. But somebody throw me a bone here. I mean there's got to be something good about having kids, right?<br />(People are also like this too. My landlord keeps telling me to enjoy every moment each time I see him. He said it's all over for a couple of years.)<br /><br />2) The baby likes to kick and stomp at night, usually when the First Lady's belly is lodged right in my back. Also, pregnant women snore like you wouldn't believe.<br /><br />3) Stuff's expensive, especially if you want full time daycare. Like $1500 a month expensive. However, family and friends are very kind when it comes to stuff. Hooray for that.<br /><br />4) You have to buy some device that blows stuff out of the child's nose. I think this is a racket since I'm pretty sure they don't use these things any where but industrialized nations.<br /><br />Despite it all, I can't wait.Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-45584774085353493362008-07-02T09:02:00.000-04:002008-07-02T09:21:06.050-04:00HOLIDAY WEEK - Happy Johnada Days!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76Mnm2PsTA7vNa67g6yT602mVeipuJ_NjpgvBc8T-nnYhsBK4osAMJjsbqdTjhWOCyVfAg8Ms-OcXM1fvLUHHEgFRL1-aax7MF71Pwd51fWqpCFtSV8wABDQylCw-LhWWu-Fs6Q/s1600-h/Beernada+Dance.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76Mnm2PsTA7vNa67g6yT602mVeipuJ_NjpgvBc8T-nnYhsBK4osAMJjsbqdTjhWOCyVfAg8Ms-OcXM1fvLUHHEgFRL1-aax7MF71Pwd51fWqpCFtSV8wABDQylCw-LhWWu-Fs6Q/s320/Beernada+Dance.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218130308812277666" border="0" /></a>The 2nd and 3rd of July are the National Holiday of Johnada. Why is it two days? Because single day holidays are for weak countries.<br /><br />On July 2, 1919 the semi-sovereign nation of Johnada was officially founded on the principle that every person should have the right to rule his/her own country, as long as that person's name is some variant of John. It all started with a letter sent out by Johnada -III (the negative third) to the U.S. government regarding his refusal to pay income tax based on the principle that he didn't like doing it. Unfortunately the letter was returned by the U.S. Post Office because drawing a stamp in pencil doesn't count as postage. At that moment, J -III decided he would pay a visit to Canada to see if he could get away with not paying taxes there. Unfortunately, he learned that he was two years too late, and they charged taxes on income as well. Apparently, he wouldn't be able to sell tax-free britches anywhere. Depressed, he returned home to the United States.<br /><br />After arriving home, Johnada -III knew he had to do something. There had to be some way he could get out of paying taxes without working too hard with tax loopholes and charity, like rich people. So he drank of mug of strong coffee and vigorously began to write the Declaration of Semi-Independence. However, after writing a three or four sentences, he got bored and went to see what Beernada -III, aka <a href="http://www.pabst.com/">Dr. Blue Ribbon</a>, was up to. They decided to head down to the local pub to have a few beers and then arm wrestle. Unfortunately, they had too many ales and after a crazy karaoke version of "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo0ktol1q7I">Hinky Dinky Parlay Voo</a>", J -3 was too tired to finish his manifesto on July 2. So the next day, after snoozing off a hang over and procrastinating by reading about Chicago Cub's pitcher Hippo Vaughn loss to the Cincinatti Reds, he decided he could put off Independence no longer. Seven hours later, he finally finished the six-sentence document. The Declaration of Semi-Independence now hangs in the House of Parliament/linen closet, right next to other national treasures such as Johnada -II's authentic certificate of eating two meters of sausage.<br /><br />So we celebrate our nation's birth for the next two days in every way we know how. There are no official days off in Johnada, since the government doesn't really have any days on. However, if you do have to work, please celebrate the Johnadian way and do a half-assed job. Then eat some pizza or possibly some Mexican food, if you live in a place where they have good Mexican. Whatever you do, no fireworks! (More on that later) But most importantly, sleep in:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhawI_hhXRNspA_Il5PPr6Bu5xQWdjG8NBRl56t8jO1KeT6A8AkdcOWSEFnmSk3k8GFhrgtai1a5mGZNjvu9-UGYWXr6iOY9qxgWpoIYvKCv4SEgXXXukApJqfRB5RJbJvMnqR38g/s1600-h/Johnada+and+Balki.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhawI_hhXRNspA_Il5PPr6Bu5xQWdjG8NBRl56t8jO1KeT6A8AkdcOWSEFnmSk3k8GFhrgtai1a5mGZNjvu9-UGYWXr6iOY9qxgWpoIYvKCv4SEgXXXukApJqfRB5RJbJvMnqR38g/s320/Johnada+and+Balki.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218129662759299906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />- Top photo is Beernada celebrating Johnada Days 2004 (or maybe it was his wedding, I can't remember which).</span>Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-49915947210870619702008-06-30T13:10:00.005-04:002008-06-30T14:35:52.674-04:00HOLIDAY WEEK - Our Annual Canada Day Preview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55l7Lc_HncOpSv6K-lH032_QEhg8jo2gmLNUkAqNqbp937veL4n7xZYQ7CMHK3lpeQTV45yAKI_c_d_A_Q9Pt4VbapNAjd5_-veLpnLbWklcX3mu70MWoFzHlMtsa2SlGxox9pA/s1600-h/canada-beaver-th.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55l7Lc_HncOpSv6K-lH032_QEhg8jo2gmLNUkAqNqbp937veL4n7xZYQ7CMHK3lpeQTV45yAKI_c_d_A_Q9Pt4VbapNAjd5_-veLpnLbWklcX3mu70MWoFzHlMtsa2SlGxox9pA/s200/canada-beaver-th.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217742500584688066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Tomorrow (or today/yesterday/last week depending on when you read this) is Canada Day. As has been our tradition every Canada Day since this blog started last October, we are going to run down some of the most exciting events around the World. Honestly, it's hard for us to call it Canada Day, because it will always be Dominion Day to us: we always loved the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Dominion_of_Canada">Miss Dominion of Canada</a> beauty pageant. Oh well. Here`s the rundown for this year`s activities:<br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;"> If you live in Newfoundland (all 500,000 of you), you can go see the <a href="http://http//www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080630/stanley_cleary_080630/20080630?hub=Canada">Stanley Cup</a> tomorrow. Local hero Danny Cleary is the first Newfie to play for a Cup-winning team. Don`t drop the cup!<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">If you want a subdued celebration, head for Quebec where the interest in Canada Day is always lukewarm at best. But I bet some where there will be a poutine with a flag in it. Also apologies to mon souer for not writing about a Fête Saint-Jean-de-Baptiste (QC`s national holiday) last week.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">If you`re in London, England, you can celebrate Canada Day in Trafalgar Square where Cordon Bleu chef Daniel Verati will offer samples of Canadian food (poutine and back bacon, I suppose), there will be a taste of the Montreal comedy festival and high speed street hockey.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">The Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C. is having a Canada Day party, but you`ve got <a href="http://www.connect2canada.com/resources/newsletters.jhtml?id=32439">RSVP</a> by today! If you go, I recommend bringing a Russian friend and debating which of the three countries has sovereignty over the Arctic. Sure to make for scintilating conversation. Beernada will be in D.C. working on his North American Free Beer Argreement, so he may be at the Embassy (though he`s much more likely to be <a href="http://www.lovethebeer.com/brickskeller.html">here</a>).</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Those (one) of you who live in Hong </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Kong, there`s a Canada Day celebration every year in </span><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" >Lan Kwai Fong.</span></li><li><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" >The weather`s looking good for celebrations in Iqaluit, Nunavut where it will be a balmy 7C (43F).<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Finally, if you want to catch me, please come down to the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. Johnada will be celebrating the only way I know how - by attacking people with blow up donuts at the first <a href="http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/worldroutes/festivals.cfm?id=219">Canadian Donut Olympics</a>. Only in Canada.</span><br /></li></ul>Happy Canada Day from all of us at Johnada!Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-9385801577934584482008-06-25T14:08:00.006-04:002008-06-25T14:53:07.165-04:00JOHNADA MEETS WALL - Wall, Johnada Agree to Disagree<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizASEe1Crs0X8oeekMHiqSLixhRE97ug01RAhH4kKaRygIA-pHLSWw2wtPTVYBnWiXHQo6mYijGycKFXPGCjK44GxQqhpG2Yo83xmnZVM9OVHRTkx1B44J-39rYvmWTYAXDWmcfA/s1600-h/416228732_3f00071078.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizASEe1Crs0X8oeekMHiqSLixhRE97ug01RAhH4kKaRygIA-pHLSWw2wtPTVYBnWiXHQo6mYijGycKFXPGCjK44GxQqhpG2Yo83xmnZVM9OVHRTkx1B44J-39rYvmWTYAXDWmcfA/s200/416228732_3f00071078.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215893789640674274" border="0" /></a>As many of you already know from the previous post, I was hit by a car while biking earlier this week. Here’s the whole story:<br /><br /> <p class="MsoNormal">I had just left Chez Johnada, and I was on my way to celebrate Beernada’s 30<sup>th</sup> birthday. (Yes, thirty. Everyone says he looks fifty, but that’s what a lifetime of tasting beer does to you). It had been a lovely summer afternoon, but the skies were starting to darken with grey clouds. I started to get a bit concerned that I was going to get rained on. I am a delicate creature, so getting wet would have been out of the question. Especially in the seersucker suit I had purchased just for Beernada’s delight. To get downtown quicker, I decided to head down to Dundas, which has designated bike lanes. To get to there, I had to take a short one way side street. No problem, I’ve still got plenty of time.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="">Cue ominous music.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I was behind and to the right of a car that was going relatively slow. I thought nothing of it since it was a Sunday afternoon; I figured it was a couple of older people out enjoying the sights and sounds of Canada’s largest city. I wasn’t exactly speeding, but I was going fast enough to pass the car on its right. Suddenly, with no warning, the car jerked in front of me, apparently parallel parking on the right side of the street. There had been no turn signal nor any other indication that this was happening. I braked as fast as I could, but some sort of Johnada-Camry contact was inevitable. At the last second, I was able to jerk the bike to the right and only graze the front side of the car. For a second, I thought it wasn’t going to be that bad, and I had successfully maneuvered my way out of a harrowing situation. That was until I saw the stone wall rapidly approaching me. This time there was no avoiding it, so I braced myself for impact. I don’t really remember the exact moment I hit the wall, but I can say that I managed to avoid hitting my head, which I think is quite admirable. I think I braced myself with my right arm. There was quite a scrunch made by the bike. The next thing I realized, I was standing there in a daze and to no one in particular I screamed, “How about a f-ing turn signal?” </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Then I looked down and saw that my bike was messed up. The front wheel was bent so that it was basically at a right angle compared to the rest of the bike. This made me quite frustrated. I looked up and saw a younger man (probably about 21) staring at me. Apparently he was the driver. He had a shocked look on his face, and I could tell that he felt pretty bad about the situation. He asked if I was okay. Then he asked if I needed a ride home. Looking back, this was very kind of him, I suppose. I was in a bit of shock, and not really interested in making nice. But I could tell he felt bad, so I didn’t say anything and just stared in silence for a moment. Without even thinking, I just grabbed my bike and started heading walking home. <span style=""> </span>As I walked away, the guy who hit me kept saying he didn’t see me, repeating the phrase at a louder volume every 10 seconds. His father was in the passenger’s side of the car and said something to me in a different language as I walked by. I’m guessing it was, “my son’s an idiot, but look what you did to my 1999 Toyata Camry.” I looked around, and there were a couple of other people on the street. They were all staring at me, but none seemed all that sympathetic. It was kind of strange. Perhaps I looked mean?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, I began to get my bearings and realized that my hand and leg were bleeding quite profusely. Also, my shoulder seemed quite sore. But it didn’t seem too bad considering the kind of shape my bike was in. I realized that I was not going to be able to carry my bike all the way home since I was about a mile away, so I had to lock it up. I locked it on right in front of a small shop in Toronto’s India Bazaar. Two shop owners stood outside their doors and stared at me and my bike. I’m sure I made for an amusing site, but I wondered why nobody offered any sympathy or assistance? I had to take the street care home, and people really avoided sitting anywhere near me. I don’t blame them because I was bleeding a lot, though not so much that blood got on the seat or floor.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Looking back, the thing I remember most was the time between when I realized I couldn’t prevent myself from hitting the care until I hit the stone wall. It was probably 1.5 seconds, but it’s amazingly clear. I knew I wasn’t going to die or anything, but I also knew that I wasn’t going to able to avoid this either. It’s that weird moment where you’re jerked out of your every day life and your brain goes into survival mode. Kind of interesting, but I’m glad it doesn’t happen every day.</p> <span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />Lessons learned:<br />1) Side streets are dangerous because cars don’t expect bikes.<br />2) The wall in front of my house will be made out of rubber and down pillows.<br />3) Despite the fact that you got into a minor accident, all Beernada ever wants to talk about is his little three week trip to Vietnam or his thirtieth birthday. *<br />4) Dogs like to lick other people’s wounds.<br />5) Blood doesn’t come out of seersucker, but still looks quite lovely.<br />6) People who work in bike shops love to tell you about their entire biking history when you tell them you got hit. It’s a badge of honour, apparently.<br />7) Just because you rode into a wall, doesn’t mean you get a free samosa.<br /><br />*This is a complete fabrication. He was very kind.<br /></span>Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-87655906075297067552008-06-22T11:49:00.007-04:002008-06-23T18:39:27.719-04:00I WANT TO RIDE MY BICYCLE - Tales of TorontoAfter leaving my bicycle outside this past winter, I was not the least bit surprised to find that it had fallen apart when I tried to ride it this spring. This led me into a long, unsuccessful search for a bike that was nice, not a target for bike thieves and in my price range. Johnada is a little picky, and a lot cheap. This is not a good combination for shopping for bikes. Eventually, my mom offered me her old road bike from the 1980s. After dismissing this several times, I finally gave in and brought it back with me after our last trip to the U.S. I have not been the least bit disappointed. I love this bike:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyskWd0dC2r6DNFG54k8gkePczIxRol4fcnseW45zJa7CicaL9ON6gTeAWDwfBnldpjqzj82aiDdKsnASylLOFycco8WNmDESXgV5lRqBRtuopFGsa7U8a_KU_cQj9H1AQKXY6yg/s1600-h/bike.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyskWd0dC2r6DNFG54k8gkePczIxRol4fcnseW45zJa7CicaL9ON6gTeAWDwfBnldpjqzj82aiDdKsnASylLOFycco8WNmDESXgV5lRqBRtuopFGsa7U8a_KU_cQj9H1AQKXY6yg/s320/bike.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215207066566091618" border="0" /></a>Notice the Canadian flag bell.<br /><br />Anyway, I've been riding in Toronto for about a month now, and I must admit that I enjoy it quite a bit. I've had no major problems, except for with a few unruly drivers and with other bikers that don't know you're supposed to go around cars turning right. Anyway my biking honeymoon came to an end last Friday. It was a pretty normal ride into work until I crossed the "beautiful" Don Mills River, than everything went wonky.<br /><br />I passed a guy in the bike lane on his left, and there was a truck about 500 feet behind us that was slowly accelerating out of the light. I had more than enough time. So then the truck catches up to me and starts honking at me. I give him a wave, but he keeps going at the same speed as me and honking. I'm thinking to myself that wasn't even close, why is he making such a big deal out of this. Then I look over at him, and he has a big smile and on his face and is holding my metal water bottle. I immediately smiled at him and said thanks. I told him he could just chuck it out of the window, but with bikers coming this didn't work, so he slows down and hands it to me. I think to myself, I'm glad I wasn't a total prick when he started honking. For the next three blocks I'm riding along, smiling to myself - thinking the world ain't all that bad. There really are nice people. I have no idea how the guy in that truck ended up with the water bottle. Where did I lose it? Did he get out and pick it up? Did another courteous biker hand it to him?<br /><br />But this would only last so long. At the third or fourth light, I catch up to a guy all decked out in spandex with yellow vests - your stereotypical middle-aged Canadian biker.<br /><br />He turns to me and says,<br />"You know why that truck honked at you? Because you almost died. You didn't signal when you passed me and you came within inches of your life."<br /><br />So I say, "Come on man, it wasn't close. I did not jump out in front of the truck. He was way back there."<br /><br />But the dude is unrelenting, "So then why did he honk and pull you over to the side of the road?"<br /><br />"Because I dropped my water bottle back there, and he was kind enough to get it for me."<br /><br />"Don't lie. You really don't understand the rules of bike riding. I've been biking for 40 years<br />blah, blah"<br /><br />"I'm not lying. That's why he stoppped."<br /><br />"Well he was a very good person for not hitting you."<br /><br />"Wow, that's not a very nice thing to say."<br /><br />He kept badgering me like this all the way down Bloor Street. Apparently, what seemed to bother him the most was that I didn't ring my bell when I passed other bikers. I'm sorry, I'm not going to signal when I go around other bikers in the bike lane. Those bells can be annoying, and I think people ignore them if you use them too much. I stop at every light, and I am very courteous to other bikers and cars. But he just kept pestering me, and I kept trying to ignore him/saying words that I shouldn't have.<br /><br />After this went on all the way through the busiest part of Toronto traffic, He finally had to turn left at Bloor and University, so he was over in the left turn lane. After pestering me for five blocks about all the rules of biking, HE JUMPS THE LIGHT AND TURNS LEFT BEFORE ONCOMING TRAFFIC EVEN THOUGH THERE IS NO TURN SIGNAL!! You can only imagine my reaction. I yelled as loud as I could at him for being a hypocrite, but I was so shocked I don't think it came out too well. I think my voice cracked like I was going through puberty, though I'm sure he got the gist of what I was saying.<br /><br />Awesome.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Update: After writing this post yesterday, I got hit by a car. I'd say it was some sort of karma for writing about biking, but it was not my fault. The person driving suddenly decided to park on the right side of the street without signalling.</span>Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-70823279145384323672008-06-21T14:02:00.010-04:002008-06-22T11:48:57.189-04:00CUBS WEEKEND 2008 - Is There a Spoon Shortage in Canada?<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Warning - Long and winding post</span><br /><br />Last weekend was circled on my schedule from the first moment last December that I discovered that the Chicago Cubs would be coming to Toronto to play the Blue Jays. To make things even better, big Cub fans <a href="http://johnada.blogspot.com/2007/11/over-top-at-jimmys.html">Shancho and Maynard</a> were coming up for their second visit to Johnada.<br /><br />Friday night was relatively calm, after a lovely dinner at Allen's Pub, Maynard and I visited my favourite bar in Toronto - the Only Cafe, then made a quick stop by <a href="http://johnada.blogspot.com/2007/11/over-top-at-jimmys.html">Jimmy's</a>.<br /><br />Saturday I woke up early, like a kid on Christmas morning, gleefully awaiting everyone else to get out of bed. We ate breakfast at the First Lady's favourite brunch place Bonjour Brioche. I was nervous the whole time, despite the game not starting for two hours. But we made it in plenty of time. Our seats were pretty far up there, as you can tell:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKt3AybhrZFwC4e0rTTSEwHvTR0YXGvb5fKE71B3lDaXJTb6BJzon4G5TEz3MbWguyPmzUWPfk1C2p8Yp7MBCd5r03R9vJbexfZyc1X9G2uHDhfSi1g33sD5unwr_Sai2m8BmkbQ/s1600-h/Baseball+Statdium.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKt3AybhrZFwC4e0rTTSEwHvTR0YXGvb5fKE71B3lDaXJTb6BJzon4G5TEz3MbWguyPmzUWPfk1C2p8Yp7MBCd5r03R9vJbexfZyc1X9G2uHDhfSi1g33sD5unwr_Sai2m8BmkbQ/s320/Baseball+Statdium.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214409138315187346" border="0" /></a>It was a great game with Cubs scoring a lot of runs off of the "ace" of the Blue Jays, Roy Holiday. The First Lady and Shancho really enjoyed the music that came on before Vernon Wells bats - a little dancy sort of techno number. It was my first game in Toronto; I have to say the stadium is a little boring, and the fans don't get very excited compared to <a href="http://johnada.blogspot.com/2008/04/live-free-or-die-hard-johnada-invades.html">Wrigley Field</a>.<br /><br />After a bbq at Chez Johnada with an appearance by the <a href="http://johnada.blogspot.com/2008/04/ambush-on-wellington-stronghold-of.html">Scientorian</a>, we headed out to do some 5 pin bowling. Amazingly, the First Lady (4.5 months pregnant) won the first game. I redeemed myself in the second game and won the series. Maynard, generally the best bowler in the bunch, is not too good at tiny pin bowling, but he looks good tossing the ball:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUQ_pZRB6IFAGvYd6vTCu09xr4oJx1Ymq4Y_e7EkpM23gNlXdM9TCa0VNb7yXSQHZg6qbgYtEu-4idDi0jkEQjBKuN2EdfOYZjCa2sbW_WTzjP3M_eIIf8onbgSBscwsCGIQ97w/s1600-h/Brian+ball.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUQ_pZRB6IFAGvYd6vTCu09xr4oJx1Ymq4Y_e7EkpM23gNlXdM9TCa0VNb7yXSQHZg6qbgYtEu-4idDi0jkEQjBKuN2EdfOYZjCa2sbW_WTzjP3M_eIIf8onbgSBscwsCGIQ97w/s320/Brian+ball.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214408817253312306" border="0" /></a>We followed bowling with a trip to Jimmy's for karaoke. It was great, as usual. I sang Alanis Morissette's "Ironic" to much acclaim. I got as close to a standing ovation as you can at Jimmy's. It was a great moment for me. Then Maynard sang <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG3PnQ3tgzY">"Putting on the Ritz" by Taco</a>. The performance was unbelievable, but slightly disappointing because there was no tap dancing at the end. Over the course of the night, there were many more songs, including a duet by Shancho and the First Lady. The crowd at Jimmy's was nice and creepy, as usual. One particular fellow kept hitting on the First Lady who clearly came with me and, in case you forgot, is OBVIOUSLY 4.5 months pregnant. But Jackie, who owns Jimmy's, was kind as always.<br /><br />On Sunday, Maymard and I got to the Cubs-Blue Jays game a little earlier as the women stayed behind to shower. It was a beautiful sunny day, so Maynard needed to get some sunglasses. After searching for a while we finally found some. We had much better seats and sat in the shade for about three innings. At the exact moment that the sun was going to hit us and Maynard was jut about to use his sun glasses, the craziest thing happened - the roof of the stadium started to close. It was pretty amazing to watch. We were surprised because it was so nice out, but after twenty minutes of the roof closing you could tell it was about to rain. After the third inning, Shancho and the First Lady finally made it. They even made a sign because the game was going to be on WGN TV in Chicago:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIQqXMvsyOR_bXj3pYhujtVcP_8_Uvhz5LIL_jHQF3ayetZgJPBcj0zLiDdtsUqUDAs0IJ6ZWa9yeyw1DLmfRZk-qQryc5ms39QvEL1MH-_hctgGg8Vp7YP1VZ1sKge334KjKOw/s1600-h/Sign.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIQqXMvsyOR_bXj3pYhujtVcP_8_Uvhz5LIL_jHQF3ayetZgJPBcj0zLiDdtsUqUDAs0IJ6ZWa9yeyw1DLmfRZk-qQryc5ms39QvEL1MH-_hctgGg8Vp7YP1VZ1sKge334KjKOw/s320/Sign.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214408506639950594" border="0" /></a>It actually says "Go Cubs, Eh?" on the bottom, but the guy who took a picture did not do a very good job of framing it. Anyway, the Cubs won this game after a great pitching performance by former Blue Jay Ted Lilly, so it was a great weekend for Cubs baseball.<br /><br />We had planned on making it an early night on Sunday after the game, but we headed over to enjoy some drinks at the Drake which has a great rooftop deck. The deck is so nice it was enjoyable even though it rained. At dinner, we had a few too many carafe's of wine and this led us to the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.rivoli.ca/">Rivoli</a> for more karoake. The Riv had a more serious crowd, and my version of "Ironic" did not go over quite so well. Apparently they don't understand an ironic version of a song called "Ironic" that has no irony in it. I mean why is it ironic to have a bunch of forks when all you need is a spoon? That's just bad planning. After, my lukewarm performance, the Scientorian absolutely ripped through an amazing version of "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince. The crowd seemed confused by the frequent shout outs to Minneapolis, however.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PgoYMaxpp5xVGabxk_L8M0Nu6af7QvAssiCsZpumFwOgcP7SDabi9VAbHkYBkaiYpEgaZuhN8utebN5Bm1xD207iw2SchtTkHOu0Hjm5oHq5gKkmoVrZfr9kmlm6W7j2BzKVgg/s1600-h/Rachel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PgoYMaxpp5xVGabxk_L8M0Nu6af7QvAssiCsZpumFwOgcP7SDabi9VAbHkYBkaiYpEgaZuhN8utebN5Bm1xD207iw2SchtTkHOu0Hjm5oHq5gKkmoVrZfr9kmlm6W7j2BzKVgg/s320/Rachel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214408175427542962" border="0" /></a>Despite the fact that we clearly didn't want the weekend to end, we had to face reality and headed home in a taxi. The taxi driver was a Croatian immigrant living in Canada who loves Cuba. That's a lot of C's.<br /><br />Overall, one of the best weekends I've had in a couple of years. And if you read this blog, you know I have good weekends.<br /><br />Allens - 4 Hortons<br />The Only Cafe - 4.62 Hortons<br />Jimmy's - 4 Hortons<br />brunch at Bonjour Brioche - 4.5 Hortons<br />The Cubs - 5 Hortons<br />Rogers Centre - 2 Hortons<br />5 Pin Bowling - 3.98 Hortons<br />Rivoli - 3.2 HortonsJohnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-14657549778188333962008-06-11T21:28:00.006-04:002008-06-11T21:49:39.627-04:00WHO CARES ABOUT THE HOCKEY NIGHT THEME SONG - Apparently EveryoneCBC recently lost the rights to the theme song for Hockey Night in Canada. It's a big deal up here. They go nuts for that song.<br /><br />Apparently, rival network CTV bought it to use for hockey games on The Sporting Network. Personally, I think the song kind of sucks, but, you know, I'm American and all. My favourite theme song will always be Mr. Belvedere. Reluctantly, I still have to give the hockey theme 5 Hortons.<br /><br />Anyway, when I saw this on the Colbert Report, I knew I had to post it. It's what this blog is all about:<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Kx5a__Osfpw&hl=en"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Kx5a__Osfpw&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31668230.post-49206009488665392672008-06-09T19:27:00.003-04:002008-06-10T20:47:19.117-04:00RANKING CANADIAN POTATO CHIPS - Lays Roast Chicken<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6CJjczMdrkNmqgghSnl4i3QUoHoBp_wu74koMePZ583F1wk4H1XEKmYJawmXqiG_PqcTyqfJ5kQSREi4qEcm5qeHt2tk9FD3JEHXcgeXpvFCVVhFtiyCyfzpJ38r11wlEoYGDQ/s1600-h/chickenc.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6CJjczMdrkNmqgghSnl4i3QUoHoBp_wu74koMePZ583F1wk4H1XEKmYJawmXqiG_PqcTyqfJ5kQSREi4qEcm5qeHt2tk9FD3JEHXcgeXpvFCVVhFtiyCyfzpJ38r11wlEoYGDQ/s200/chickenc.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210415276937903554" border="0" /></a>The other day, I was at the 7 Eleven near my office unsuccessfully looking for unsweetened iced tea when I noticed they were carrying Roast Chicken Flavoured Lays. After signing a few autographs, I hurried over to the counter and purchased a bag. This was very exciting to me as I have had a lot of trouble finding this particular flavour.<br /><br />When I carefully pulled the bag open, it was like I was transported to rotisserie in Paris, and I felt the approach of fried potato joy. (Actually, my initial reaction when I opened the bag was to wonder if I had forgot to use deodorant.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tasting Notes</span> - Tastes like Chicken bullion. My tongue doesn't feel good. Why do they call it Roast Chicken? Nothing about it tastes like chicken. Did I wash the grey socks? These taste like a lot Lawry's seasoned salt. These chips are awful.<br /><br />Now I know why these are hard to find. Congratulations Ketchup, you're no longer the worst chip in Canada.<br /><br />Current Chip Standings:<br /><ol><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Lays Chili Garlic</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Lays Curry</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Spicy Plantains from the Bulk Barn<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">President's Choice General Tao Chicken</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Lays Sea Salt and Pepper</span><span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span class="on" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Lays Smokey Bacon</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">President's Choice Szechwan<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">President's Choice Smokin' Stampede</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Lays Ketchup</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Lays Roast Chicken</span></li></ol>Now all I need to find are <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizza" title="Pizza">pizza</a></span>, fries'n gravy, salsa, wasabi and, the Holy Grail of Canadian Chips, spicy Indian masala. (Incidentally, if anyone knows where to get any of these flavours, let me know.)Johnadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17686065409753540608noreply@blogger.com4