So there's a new Nissan...

(Mood at present - confuzzled and disgruntled)
(Listening to - the friggin' Nissan commercial)





Alright. It's not often I have to go find a soapbox and get up on it to rant (I'm usually loud enough from my chair at the pub without it) but tonight I have found something quite remarkable to rant about...

On behalf of MOST Newfoundlanders here in Toronto, its friggin' weird being a minority in such a big city. Even that may be a big presumption and sweeping generalization, but y'know what? I've met maybe, just MAYBE, 7 Newfoundlanders since I've been here, and most of them were at random! The point is that, up till now, I've been obviously patient. It's very natural for those of the mainland (or ANYwhere that's even heard of Newfoundland) to be a bit coy, perhaps misinformed, and even trying to be a bit funny at our expense, knowing that we - being the kind and generous folk that we are - will give them the opportunity. Of course, they don't know what to do when we strike back with our quick and sharp wit in retort, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

To be honest, let's face it, oh we proud few of the "pine clad hills", as a people we're known to most of the mainland for three big things:
1. our fortitude for drinking,
2. our fun-loving, laissez-faire attitude towards most things,
and 3. our "funny and fast" way of talking.

And y'know what? If that's the worst that we can be known for, that's not so bad. But, I can't help but feel a bit punched in the gut when those stereotypes, which generally are altered slightly upon actual interaction with a actual Newfoundlander, are used at our expense to push a product - a friggin' 4x4 SUV named the Bonavista...

Most of us by now have seen The Ad. I've been in another country for most of the summer, and then adjusting to Toronto without a TV, so it was news to me when I heard about it tonight. But, it's easy enough to find on YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m-y-qAbpL0

Not to sound too "Newfie" when I say this, but fer da luvva GOD...

I realize some of us sound like this, and honestly, I found the ad cute, if not funny, especially to try and keep up with some of what the guy was saying about the stupid truck. But really, I equate how he's speaking as such: Take someone who DOESN'T speak Spanish, put them into a place where he needs it, watch him spit out lines like "Aye caramba! Yo quero Taco Bell! Nacho libre, mi amigo! Andelay andelay, arriba arriba!" hoping that he's getting somewhere and thinking he's making some SENSE, and that's what you sorta get with this ad. I mean, the "sayings" that this guy is using are complete rubbish. I'd say the only things that sound about right is "How she gettin' on, me son?" and using "mudder" for mother.

The next thing I wonder is who the hell are they marketing this towards? Newfoundlanders are already up in arms over it, not to mention that I don't see why this ad OR the name would have any bearing over whether we'd jump on board with buying it or not, and if it's not directed at us, then who the hell is it for?? The subtitles are a cute addition, I'll say that, since even the Newfoundlanders can't understand much of a bloody thing the guy is saying. And would it have killed them to actually GET a Newfoundlander or someone WITH the accent to DO the ad? Cripes...

Anyway, maybe I'm overreacting a bit. Maybe I'm even just being too patriotic or sensitive. Hell, maybe I'm even being accommodating by having it on my blog, but seriously, I think it's cute, but stupid. It is certainly not helping Newfoundlanders to be taken seriously. But, then, on the other hand, when do we ever want to be taken seriously? We are pretty damn fun. Either way, I'll let you have a look and see what you think.

(Ahhhh, it's good to have a good rant now and again)

Good for ANY Season!

C is for Cookie - ALL THE TIME.

Quick AWESOME update!

(Mood at present - ecstatic)
(Listening to - U2 - All Because of You)






So, quick scoop for all those not up on my latest!

It has be affirmed and confirmed that I am indeed a THIRD year!! Which means ALL my credits have been accepted, and all I've left to do are what I'm doing now, plus internship!! Hoo-hoo-HOO!

Basically, this means - so long as I don't totally blow it and shag up this year outright - that what plans I have are working out! Do the whole year at Trin, fill the Summer with useful, wonderful things (preferably lucrative!), and then intern in the following Fall... Then, here you go, Bishop! Fresh from the shop and ready to GO!

...so I'm pretty damn happy. Just FYI. :)

With that, a BIG ol' thank you to my family, fiancee, friends and mentors who saw me through to this, and who supported my coming here in the first place. This year up till now has been of EPIC proportions, and hope it stays that way.

Now, I'm goin' to bed. More SOON!

One Room To Let - Bag End, Hobbiton

"...must be resonsible - no students or Urukai - no smokers, no pets, no rings..."

Before I even get into this post, please watch the oh-so-corny movie linked below. Please oh please.
http://www.bendshire.com/images/Movie_30s.wmv

Anyway, so there I was, just buggering around the Internet after doing a bit of work, and what do I come upon but this site: http://www.bendshire.com/ Dear GOD - it's a Tolkien fanboy's dream come true!!! Sure, it all looks really cool, but I can only imagine the cost, and how quickly would that novelty wear off, huh? I mean, cars alone ruin it. Not to mention that, if you'll notice in the pics/video, all the cars are BMWs or Bentleys and whatnot. Not really selling me on the possible cost there...

Guess I'll just live in the trees with the elves... Though I hear the rents are outrageous.

I'm thinking FAR too much for a Sunday

(Mood at present - Studying, so my mood is BLAH.)

So it's kinda funny that I notice, as the planes fly overhead in a foreboding circling pattern here in downtown TO, that no one would even notice if there was an air-strike to wipe us all out due to some quarantine outbreak thing the big shots were trying to contain. Yes, I do watch too many zombie movies, but that's beside the point. I'm amazed that the anti-govt zealots weren't overrunning any nearby field or street shouting God knows what while the rest of us drop a quarter in their cup for the show and walk away quickly.

Now, upon further inspection of the situation (ie: one of the other Div kids checked it out online), supposedly the "air show" is actually just that. They're to pay tribute to a new 30-metre granite wall commemorating veterans. Cannons, jets flying about, a "flying V" of 5 helicopters... And right next door in Queen's Park. I can't fault that really - well, not the commemoration wall at least nor the vets, but the friggin low flying jets? What the hell!! And no real notice about it at all. Just let them planes swoop on down, guys, thanks.

Now, before I knew it was a wall, my Div bud told me it was a statue or something that the govt was putting up, and right away I thought, "Well, isn't that nice? What better way to pay homage and tribute with planes, and guns, and helicopters, and a parade than on a SUNDAY..." Not to go too church-y on your asses, but the whole "worship of idols" ain't too cool in Christianity, Judaism or Islam, so all three of the biggies say that God don't like that, especially on the day you keep holy.

(again, this funny thought was before knowing it was a tribute to the soldiers we've lost, so I quickly recanted that whole comment after that. I mean, that's as solemn as they COME for a Sunday.)

But after that, I realized something else, speaking of "idols" - millions of Canadians this very night will be doing just that: worshiping the new Canadian Idol tonight. I mean, how weird is that! I don't really care - neither that it's on a Sunday, nor for the bloody show in the first place - but I couldn't help but notice how odd it was that no one's ever noticed that before. I've also wondered, seeing that my Dearest Love watches the said "bloody show", that its on Tuesdays and Wednesdays regularly. Why on a Sunday for the climax?

Now, before the hate mail begins, and shit starts to fly about how I'm talkin' down about Idol or even (Heaven for-friggin'-bid) that I even discuss Sunday/church stuff around the topic, I'm not about to say that Canadian Idol is keeping people from church. Cripes no! But I do wonder why the change in day just for the finale, and the sorta ironic situation of the "idol worship" on the Christian day of rest. Weird.

Anyway, I'd best be off before I get into some rant about "reality TV" and the like. Bring on Monday!

(Listening to Strange Days - Matthew Good Band)
(Mood at present - Relaxed)






So here I am on the close of Saturday of the first weekend. I have seen a Jays baseball game (one they actually won, in fact) on Friday, I have begun a new gym routine with one of my classmates (yay! bring on the hurt!), been out and about a bit, and still got some work, reading, and clean-up done!

Obviously, I am going to LOVE these weekends around here.

Of course, I say this now. Just wait a few more weeks, when I'm under the gun, and please ask me again.

I am really missing my lady today. That's what I get when time allows the mind to wander - time to remember just how far away she actually is... I could write a short book on this, given the number of times and places of been away from her now, but I know that there's plenty of people out there who know exactly - if not worse - what I'm talking about and how I'm feeling. So, I'll save that for her.

Hmm. That's about it for now! Geez, that was a short post... To make up for it, I will post the link for the TMNT movie, which I just downloaded. Enjoy!

http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/teenagemutantninjaturtles/

(Miss you Babe - call you tomorrow night, kay? :) )

Barenaked Ladies Are Me - REVIEWED!

Mood at present - Educational and critical





As promised, the new BNL CD review by yours truly.

First of all, I got the deluxe version - a whole extra CD came with it and it double the amount of music for maybe 5 bucks extra, so its well worth it. As for the album itself? It's... well, on the whole, I liked it. Let's say that right away.

While it's very remenicent of Born on a Pirateship in some senses - ex: Jim and Kevin are singing a couple of songs on this one and it has a whole new direction from the older stuff in HOW it's done - it still holds onto a lot of the Stunt sound insofar that its got alot of that organ beeping stuff, and other occasional weirdness. This so-called "weirdness", of course, is only to us "purists" who often times can't get past ourselves enough to hear the good in the new. To quote a good buddy of mine and fellow BNL freak Bones:

"It's true, we're totally the guys Steve was warning himself about on Box Set. I try to overcome that though, but they really have gotten pop-y."

Like I said, though, the lyrics and songs (specifically Bank Job and Adrift) caught my attention right away - which is a given since they're the first songs on the album. The point is that they caught my attention and kept it. I was groovin' out to it pretty much all the way through.

I love the infectiousness of their first single Easy, I want to say that RIGHT away. I can't stop listening to it. I hope it stays that way.

I also really love the inclusion of more accordion, banjo, and other different instruments and making it WORK some how (just like the good ol' days), the bold commentary found in some songs (at least I picked it up in Rule the World with Love and Fun & Games), the cool folky power chords of Wind it Up, the new addition of horns in the background of some tunes (Bull in a China Shop and Something You'll Never Find)... Heck, sometimes there's almost a Ska feel to some of it! What with all the intermixing of brass and rock/folk to make a pop-ish sound -especially when the horns or how they sing together in chirpish choruses behind the lyrics. Like I said to Bones: "It's different, but in a good way."

Yeah, so I like it. Though, as with Stunt or Maroon or (Heavens...) Everything to Everyone, it takes a wee bit of adjustment for some since some tunes are just odd. Or, ironically for me to say, preachy. Now, I understand that the boys want to make more points about the things around them. Cripes, if they didn't I wouldn't listen to them. I mean, they've been doing it since Gordon with stuff like New Kid on the Block (in terms of preachy) or King of Bedside Manor (the odd), to name but a few.

The important thing to say though is that I will say the good tunes outweigh the "Uh... okayyy" on this album. Even the purists of the old stuff will appreciate the new stuff. Between the Steve ballads (Home and The New Sad), the Ed quirky quick ones (One and Only, Easy, and Down to Earth), Jim's differentness on his, and Kevin's delicateness and poetry (love Serendipity), the album comes out really well. I really like that each of the boys that sing have a moment to shine as lead vocals on this album - well, the DELUXE version, anyway. (Too bad Tyler doesn't - I'd love to hear what he'd come up with!)

So, here's some free advertizing - GO BUY THE CD. Or download it. But at LEAST download it from THEM and PAY for the damn thing, cause these guys are some of the few that know what it means to let the fans have their music and support the whole advent of downloading/sharing music.

So I Took A Superhero Quiz...

Your results:
You are Green Lantern



Green Lantern - 90%
The Flash - 65%
Iron Man - 65%
Superman - 60%
Spider-Man - 60%
Wonder Woman - 40%
Supergirl - 35%
Robin - 35%
Hulk - 30%
Batman - 10%
Catwoman - 10%

For those who know me, this is actually fitting, though the Hulk would work too. ;) And how befitting "Comic Book Day"! Try it out yourself (see below). Have a good one!


Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz


NOTE - I'll get to that BNL review just as soon as I'm done "really listening to it". :)

Barenaked Ladies Are Me... uh, is mine!

Whee! Just picked up the new BNL double CD. Watch this post - edit with review to follow...

M.Div Begin Again - Day 1 and 2

Mood at present - Plesant









The long and the short of it breaks down as follows:

One: the majority of the books bought today have not been course books because you have to go to the bookstores to find out what books you need (as there is no book list included in the course description), and yet the friggin' bookstores don't know what books we need EITHER because no one has the list. Friggin' marvelous.

Two: I am now the proud owner of a $105 dollar academic robe. At THAT price, this baby's gonna no just be for High Table supper, ho-no. Bathrobe, sleepwear, raincoat, BatCape, you name it! (though I do have plans for it as a BatCape, as I scale the belfrey, glaring menacingly down upon the poor freshmen... *sigh* I need more to do)

Three: they're finally feeding us in the dining hall. Hooray for mealcards! And this just ain't any old eating - I mean the food's about average, but we get served at High Table for supper (OH! for those who don't know, we gotta get dressed up in our academic robes and THEY serve US - like Hogwarts without the coolness of magic or Hagrid)

Four: Courses thus far - not bad. Particularly the Exodus course.

Five: FINALLY got internet in my room. Cripes, that took long enough... So, those of you out there missing me? I'll be "around" more.

Annnd... Huh, that's about it. Well, more later I'm sure, as tomorrow is Wednesday - our busiest day, and also when we host a little "soiree" for the Div's only. :) Later

Where's friggin' Noah when you need him?

(originally to be posted on Sept. 3rd, 2006)

It's amazing how in such a place of excess and denial how quickly someone can get caught up in it. I can hardly say I'm exempt from that statement, what with my love of little devices and collecting movies, but I can't help looking around at the people, as John Cougar himself said "dressed up for each other" along the sidewalk, or the shops full of "things you need to be pretty" or "fulfilled" or "successful" or ANYthing, and then see the contrast found in those desperately clinging to what they don't have, seated on the street corner steps.

Then there are those making a mockery of those in need by asking for handouts they don't need. Four or five skater kids brazenly sticking their hands out at different sides of the subway, tucking their iPods away and trying to hide their hundred dollar shoes, who dress like they "have not" because it's COOL? F'God's sake...

So, soon the line blurs between who need help and who don't - people not wanting to give because who knows who's faking just to make a quick buck. And then all get nothing. Those who are with - as opposed to without - pass by, oblivious to all the cups and blankets huddled in the street.

Today, it is raining. So this image is all the more louder than usual. I do not look forward to the winter...

And yet, even in the midst of this running editorial in my head, I can't help noting that the blossoming umbrellas everywhere. Barely anyone has a coat or hood. It's as though, even in the rain, the ideal of the summer must remain. Or the ideals people have of themselves, anyway. I can't tell if it's spring or fall in such a shower. The idea of the long weekend is not lost on these people, who still hit the ground scurrying.

Well, back to waiting out the rain. I basically am set up in my little bunker so that I don't have to go out in the rain. It has yet to stop. I thought days like this only happened in the bookends of Canada - Vancouver and Newfoundland. And even in Newfoundland, it's intermittent at best, though often horrible when actually pouring. We are one of the few places that "rain, drizzle, fog" is an apt and understood weather forecast. If nothing else, the weather is great for making you feel at home. :)

"That Night In Toronto..."

(originally to be posted Sept 1st, 2006)

I forget just how much I am the Country Mouse until I get to the bigger cities. Particularly when all alone. At least if I knew someone here, or better still if I was looking about with someone else, it would be less overbearing and/or overwhelming.

And its not that I dislike Toronto. I just dislike the first few days being here. Adjusting, dealing with new surroundings... and smells... not to mention the wonderful job of introducing myself to people upon arrival...

Mind you, I was not in the mood for people after travelling since 5AM to here in the mid-afternoon, completely unawares as to who it was I had to see or where it was I had to go. Did I mention I was carrying almost 100 extra pounds - 50 of which were in a large clumsy duffel bag? (Huh, it was just as well I had a dead body hidden in each hand.) I wasn't a jerk to the interested youngsters who enquired "Are you a new frosh?" The only thing I could think to reply was "No I'm not frosh. This IS my first year, but it is also my last." Y'know, honestly, that does make sense too. After all, first year here - true enough - but last year (please God) doing my degree. So, I don't think I was a jerk, no.

So I've gorged myself on some comforts - a toasted pizza sub and some chips with diet cola. Ahhh, nameless diet cola. So cheap and tastes of something between all the big names... Still, I find myself awake at 9pm here in TO, which translates to 10:30pm at home, which then translates to me being up a total of 18.5 hours and still haven't even so much as napped!! And I've still not unpacked nor contacted anyone at home - try as I might from the airport, no one was home...

And only now do I notice my lack of pillow in the room... I'm not so stuffy or hardheaded that I need a pillow to sleep, but I know I will pity my neck and shoulders in the morning.

Soon I will have all that I need, and everything will be a little less yikes. This place will become home.

(listen to Bobcaygeon by The Tragically Hip)