"I ooonnnce was looooost, but nowwwww am foooouuund..."

(Mood - HOLY SHIT GIDDY HAPPY!)


(Listening to - Shag that! I was SINGING!!)




Simple and direct post - as my dear friend Nico supports the suggestion that I may be "drunk". Pfffft, five pints (three of which were FREE) does NOT constitute drunk, far as I'm concerned. :)

I have found karaoke. Nearby. On Tuesdays. It's run by some prick of a guy who's like "Howard Stern Lite".

Frankly, I couldn't be happier.

More later.

AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT...

Happy Birthday to YOU!
Happy Birthday to YOUUU!
HAPPY BIRTH-DAY, DEAR MARK EMMANUEL!
Happy Birthday TOOOO YOUUU!

There he is, ladies and gents, the youngest nephew of mine. Now two whole years old. Ain't he great? :)

I should be working, y'know...

(Mood - Sick and drugged)


(Listening to - Here in My Room by Incubus)




(Just FYI - Seeing as I'm pretty much all better now, the little me this post is kinda pointless, but since I made it, I wanna use it. So there.)

So let's see. What to report? Things are well, but mostly boring. Though that will change very shortly with the oncoming of the papers. Cripes, where the hell did January go? Nice to see time flying a little bit quickly, but only so to get home sooner rather than have work bite me in the ass.

In any case, what to regale you with first... I've been trying my best not to spend even MORE money on books, but my lack off people around to keep me away from the friggin' sweet little privately run second-hand and rare books stores makes for easy spending. I suppose I could be buying worse things (Yes dear, no more "technology"... and yes, I'll stay away from Futureshop...).

As well, I've been trying to keep away from too many online purchases as well. My God, who knew shopping Amazon would be so great? ...probably everyone, but shut up... Seriously, I've recently found more of my required textbooks there for better prices than at the store across the street that already sells them uber-discounted! Of course, to get the "Super Saver Shipping", I had to buy three other books too... I have to be stopped. Stupid credit card...

I must say that, without said little plastic wonder, I would not be in possession of BNL TICKETS! That's right, ladies and gentlemen, I'm goin' to see 'em Feb. 16th here in ol' TO! *sigh* Wish they weren't so bloody expensive though. I do NOT remember spending up to sixty bucks on a ticket to see them back home last time. But, thems the breaks to see the Ladies. Bones, you will be sorely missed at this event. :( I'm half tempted to bring a cellphone and call you while there or something. No offence meant to my other friends, nor even my lovely fiancee, but let's face it kids - Bones and I are the big fans of the BNL here. Ahh, if only I had better connections to get backstage...

Anywho, what else is happening... Oh! Our big boss man, the Primate Archbishop Andrew Hutchison (*sigh* Yes, I'm aware his title sounds like a monkey) visited today. This week is the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity", so our neighbouring (though traditionally "rival") school of Wycliffe came over to visit, as the Primate is a grad from our side. :) It was really nice to see him, as I knew him about 6 to 7 years ago when he was the Bishop of Montreal. It was nice to have the two schools together too, given that most of our "rivalry" is just for show anyway. I really like a lot of the Wycliffe kids! (quick shout out to Steve & Julie, Chelsea and Liz!) I mean, just because their school is named after a man who, due to his radical teachings against the Church, was deemed a "stiff-necked heretic" (and then his remains were exhumed and burned by Papal order) doesn't mean they're bad people. (hee hee hee I kid! I kid!) Really though, good times had by all - particularly the lasagna!

It was also a good night for our "seminarian lab" (or what I call lately 'Liturgical Gymnastics'). We've been practicing the actual acts of worship - Baptism and Eucharist. Next after that are marriage prep and the wedding itself (Heh! Already DID two of THOSE) and funerals. It's probably my favorite part of being up here - the hands on stuff. But then, I'm sure most fields of study agree to that, when most of their work is theory. Supposedly I have a very comfortable sense of the worship, said the prof. Good to know!

Besides all that, I'd say my biggest complaint was my cold. That was nasty. Seems to be a mild epidemic up here in TO, but then with this many ppl, how can't it be? I'm half expecting to get it again, especially since I'm working with kids up at St. George's now. Sunday school up there is going well. Well, as well as can be expected when only 3 kids MAX show up... I've been told it's "skiing season"... Geez. Well, at least the kids enjoy it anyway. Heh - last week, I gave them the option of staying in group to talk about the lesson or go back up to Church. The look on their faces as they tried to decide was priceless. It was almost as though none of them had ever even considered that I might send them back up! Ahh. I shouldn't take so much joy in tormenting kids, but it's just soooo easy! Ha!

In any case, that's all I got. Even that last bit was a bit of a toss in add-on. Guess I'll have to have something interesting happen to me soon. Or go see a new movie to critique (*coughGHOSTRIDERcough*). Till I find something ridiculous to post, more later!

Post-Christmas Wrap-up

(Mood - Missing home again, but happy)


(Listening to - Adrift by BNL)






Well, back to the bookstacks and smokestacks of the big Tee-Oh again. *sigh* As per usual, don't get me wrong. I am fully aware of the good this whole "run away to school" idea is doing for me, but that doesn't mean, like many of my friends, I wouldn't rather be home. Moreover, to be home finished all of this and moving on. But, what's another 109 days? ...gah.

In the meantime, Christmas was great. Just the idea of being "on vacation" at home was nice. It would have been nice to have done more visiting, but timing wasn't always handy for that. Never is when one is pressed for time as it is - and geez, did the time fly... Hope everyone else had fun too. The best part - to my sweetheart's chagrin - was the snow! It came just enough for the holidays to jazz up the whole Christmas look ...except on Christmas day itself when it rained... but still, it was really nice. Also nice to see the family and friends, not to mention eating turkeys and hams and pies. Wonderful to have people cooked food, rather than people prepared food. Yes, there's a difference.

Hmm, now as for Christmas itself, I'd say the best thing to happen church wise was to speak to the kids on Christmas Eve morning. The talk was about the idea of preparation - getting ready for Santa, remembering Jesus' birth, all that. An image I used was for them to picture what they thought of when I said "Christmas", and to picture Jesus giving it to them, because none of it would exist without Him. I mean, regardless of the theological ideas surrounding that comment, which in my line of work are still important to keep in mind, more literally there would be no Christmas without Him! Y'know what? They actually LISTENED! Ahh, that always makes it better.

As for Christmas Gift wise, I'd say my biggest scores for the season would be my iPod's radio tuner (it has a little lapel clip set of extra buttons the size of the new iPod shuffle that allows one to control the iPod without having to get it out, and it allows me to listen to FM radio as well which, in Toronto, is freakin great! Lotsa channels to chose from!) and my Indiana Jones box set (FINALLY - Thank you SO much Steph!)

Anyway, back to the daily ratrace. Hope everyone else I know had a great time home, and I hope we all keep in steady contact until we all come home again. Maybe I'll even have some better topics to post up here. GASP! What a concept!

Happy New Year to all! More later!

DAAAAAAA!

Raving Rabbids?

I've never played the game Rayman before, but if I knew these were involved, I'd be totally there. Enjoy!

(oh, and a real post to follow... Seriously.)

It's beginning to feel a lot like STRESS-MUCH!

(Mood - Impatient and Worn Out)


(Listening to - Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe)



So, as this term sloooooooowly winds down, I find myself done a bit early. I'm done! Finished! Unfortunately, my work load and exams do not share that sentiment... Argh. I know I'm hardly the only one IN this boat, but let me tell ya, I am one bushed little bugger.

Between my exams and last minute papers, I'm also planning the Advent Party (or "Christmas Party" to those who aren't sure what Advent means. :) ) and I'm debating tonight at the Lit. The Lit, in short, is the ridiculously wonderful tradition of the college, a tradition older than the building itself, where the students can debate a resolution - one side in favour known as the "Government" and one side against as the "Revolution". Tonight, the topic is "Be it resolved that Genesis made a better band than a book". Hee hee! Oh, did I mention that tonight is known as the "Div Lit"? In other words, the DIV's have a turn to make the laughs. Oh, and there's booze too. Not a whoooole lot, but some civil wines and beers to be partaken in whilst the debate is had.

Frankly I was up for EITHER side, really, but I find myself defending the first text of the Jewish Pentateuch, the first book of the Bible, our misconstrued and often misused Genesis. Not only that, but I'm debating against the Dana our chaplain, who's defending the band, with my buddy Aaron! Moses and Aaron defending the Old Testament! What fun!

Either way, I am an anxious boy to be getting home... I wish it was all over and done with just for now... And with that said (and my personal "brain break" time's up), I return to hitting the books. To all my brothers and sisters in arms (well, stuck in BOOKS anyway), Godspeed. It'll all get done, and soon too. Then, home to Newfoundland, where warm drinks, family, BIG suppers and lotsa fun havin' shall ensue!

More later! (probably and hopefully from HOME)

Jeff Martin is still awesome

(Present mood - Tired and working... blah)

(Listening to - Babylon by Tea Party)



Hey every peoples! I am presently posting from not ONLY another province (no, unfortunately not Newfoundland) but ALSO from another laptop! My dearest buddy Aeryn invited me over to her place to visit. She even found me a dirt cheap (...well, kinda dirty too...) mode of transportation. To all of you wishing to visit Montreal, there's a really quick way - The Magic Bus. Basically? Forty bucks and you drive 5 hours (a stop in between for gas and eats) in a van made for 20 people, but they only take 10 so you've got room to spare. It wasn't the most luxurious travel, but safe and cheap. The people on board (all students) were really fun too. The last leg of the trip suddenly turned into an impromptu MacBook add, which was hilarious. So, all in all, money and funtimes well spent. For more info about Magic Bus, ask me later.

As for Jeff Martin, he was the once leader of a band called The Tea Party. Presently, he is solo-ing with this drum virtuoso Ritesh Das (leader and teacher of Toronto's own Tabla Ensemble!). He performed at Cafe Campus - the presumable McGill bar - to a modest crowd. It was very much like an episode of "Intamate & Interactive" off of Much Music. He played some new tunes, some old faves, some odd but fun renditions of old faves in a medely - it was great!

Presently, however, Montreal is showing her true colours by being (as usual when I visit) icy cold and wet as a waterfall. It's pretty gross. Still, my wee friend and I are venturing out for not only a beer or two, but the promise of visiting another friend of hers who has recently purchased a Nintendo Wii!! Woo!!

(Oh, and to my darling sweetie of a fiancee - this Wii thing is better than I've heard. We may need to talk about how this needs to be an addition to our home. :) )

Anywho, I must go. Off to eating and merriment! ...almost makes one forget about all the work and books and things I brought with me... ugh... More later.

I need a tux...

(Present mood - Mildly stressed vs. Contentedly pumped)
(Listening to - You Know My Name by Chris Cornell)





*dun-de-da-dun-dun DUN-DUN-DUN dun-de-da-dun-dun DUN-DUN-DUN!*

...uh, that looks/sounds a lot better if you picture it coming out of a heavily twanged 70's guitar. :)

So, yes, this is going to be a 007 post. Went and saw it last night with my fellow "live-in-Div's", though there was a slight fiasco trying to get to it, seeing that none of us knew where the theatre was, nor that the early show was sold out an HOUR before we got there. Honestly, a good sign that the flick will do well - regardless, or even in spite of, the occasional negative or just to nitpicky review of it. (which I imagine this one will be a bit)

I'm hardly a Bond aficionado, though I do enjoy the films quite a bit as a genre unto themselves. As well, due to this fact, I do believe I have some idea of what belongs and befits a Bond film, and what doesn't. That in mind, here's my take on it (WARNING!! MILD SPOILERS AHEAD!!!)

First of all, our introduction to him is just GREAT. Dead on delivery of his cocksure attitude mingled with cold accuracy. Well played. Next, we have probably the best action sequence in the entire movie - a freejumping chase scene, which was high-wired and crazy-go-nuts cool. As an acquaintance of mine put it "The chase was really cool cause you saw the skilled runner versus the cleaver runner." You can guess which one was Bond.

(FYI - Freejumping AKA "Free running" or Parkour - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_running or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkour and you'll get it.
Gotta LOVE Wikipedia! :) )

The cars in this flick were also great, but underused, which too was good. To those who are used to Bond and his "gadgets", this flick ain't really for you. It shows off Bond's skill to know how to handle himself given what he has at hand and based on his training. No lazer watches, no cellphone controlled cars, no "Mission: Impossible-esque" anything, really, save a portable defibrillator device the size of two decks of cards side by side. It's reminiscent of the original few Bonds (ie: Dr. No for sure) that just had Bond, his wits/charm, his skills, and his gun, to help him out of a jam. That too was fantastic, as it really played up the character being "new" as a double-O.

This is not to say that there aren't gadgets - its just that most of the gadgetry used ANYbody these days uses. That's the really weird thing. We've come so far since the original Bond that most people have access TO the gadgets once only dreamed of... well, except jetpacks (which also were not in this film). So, it was more HOW he made use of them rather than just having them. Oh, and did I mention product placement GA-LORE? Geez. Between all the cars he used, to his SONY cellphone, to his SONY laptop, his SONY cufflinks, geez. Remember when it was just Smirnoff that was strategically placed in the foreground? Said friends and I had a good laugh at the idea of how many billions they must have made off of his martini habits.

Speaking of necessary items for a Bond film - we have the new song. It's the first one since the past "reincarnation" of Bond to NOT use a woman to sing it (perhaps due to Madonna's computerized disaster last time around!) However, they chose former Soundgarden, now Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell to do it. I love Chris Cornell as a performer AND songwriter so this was a great change. He delivers too, with his tune "You Know My Name". G'head! Go to http://www.myspace.com/chriscornell and see! It's hard rock meets Bond-orchestra sound, with basic moderately-movie-theme-based lyrics, like the last few GOOD ones. Goldeneye had Tina Turner (great classic sounding choice), Tomorrow Never Dies had Sheryl Crow (also great smokey sounding choice), while the other two... well, blech.

So, all in all, great film for action, for misdirection towards the end via a lull of false security and questionable tit-for-tat, line-after-line feeding sessions, the wonderful adaptation to the "now" of the original Bond, great tune, and the lovely and hilarious Dame Judi Dench as M.

Now... about the new guy...

Personally, and I'm aiming to defend myself over this matter, I believe we have a new Sean Connery on our hands. He's buff and tall; plays the character as suave, cold and cocky - knowing how to deliver short witful lines without cheezing it up TOO much - he's a complete package! Oh, and on behalf of "Liz the Div", he's got icy-cold blue eyes that just sizzle you from the inside out. There you are, ladies. He's hot, but not "pretty"; handsome as Sean was. I mean, Sean was a boxer/bodybuilder before acting! Most of the others were Shakespeare trained (thank you, Timothy) or kinda skinny (I'm lookin at YOU Pierce). I will never say that our last newest Bond didn't do a fine job resurrecting the character (Goldeneye was great, and Tomorrow Never Dies was okay), I just think he got handed the proverbial "Joel Schumacher's Batman" versions of Bond films during his time doing them...

So, personal opinion, our new boy Daniel Craig, I tip my martini to you. Thank you for bringing the Sean Connery feel BACK to Bond!

So, go see the damn thing! It's actually good for action enthusiasts, Bond fans, and just plain ol' anybody!

Did I mention that after we got back from the LATE show of it (bloody ticket sellout...) that we proceeded to then watch Dr. No with chocolate martinis and snacks? What fun! Especially comparing where the franchise began to what it's become. I believe we have a new weekend activity over here at Trinity. :)

Anywho, back to said grindstone. More later!

Moses' Big Day Out!

(Present mood - Famished)
(Listening to - Virtual Insanity by Jamiroquai)





(Seemed the best title since "The Exodus" and "There and Back Again" were taken ;) )

So it's been QUITE some time since I've updated, and a fair bit has happened too. I'll try my best to start at the beginning.

First off, MidTerm Break (aka "Reading Week") was upon us. That's a whole week off in October. I happily spent it with Bones and Ainz - two very close friends of mine, who are my first married couple in terms of the whole priestly life. :) For those who wonder, no I can't actually legally marry anyone, but I can officiate the entire service except the "Do you? I do! Now sign the book" part. Anywho, this required a trip to New Haven - a 14 hour trip by train. Yuck. So the 22nd of October rolled around and I was off!

For the record, though a long ride, the train was quite comfy. Lots of leg room, big comfy seats, and get this! An outlet for plugging stuff in! THAT was grand. Very helpful for those with laptops and portable DVD players. I used mine on the way back. On the way down, however, I read my new book "The Gospel According to Sherlock Holmes". (very very fun!) My one complaint about trains - believe NOTHING of what they say initially to departure concerning how long it will take to get there. Between stupid hold ups due to construction and other little "hiccups", we were near a whole hour late into New York. Sheesh.

Speaking of NY, I must say that the scenery was okayyy. Not breathtaking, by any means, but okay. I was expecting a little something given that we had to go allll the way accross the state of New York, and I've only heard good things about upstate. However, given that most of the buildings and businesses down by the tracks are hardly what I'd call "ritzy", but since it was Fall, the colours and chill in the air gave one of my favorite looks to the towns. Oh, not to mention that the graffiti actually had some effort put into it. I know that sounds ridiculous, but damn! It's an ART form in some places. Hardly comparable to the scrawlled gangtags of most.

Anyway, got into town at 1AM, after jumping from New York to New Haven - the familiar leg of the journey, as I made it a couple of times when visiting last time in NY city. From the moment I got there, what fun! New England is always great this time of year. Got the intro to Yale, the basics of NH, ate at the "birthplace of the hamburger" (heh), and just happily got to hang out with my friends between their work and school. Ainz even got to practice bellydancing for a workshop for a middle school she had to teach, which was pretty cool. Oh, and Bones works in the Yale bookstore, which is also awesome. It was nice to hang out and get my comicbook jones back on, and get back on top of the mess that's there. Ahh. A lovely week had, really.

Of course, classic Moses this past year, I missed my ride back. This time, though, I can honestly blame the city of New York, because one of the subway workers pointed me in the wrong direction to get to Penn Station from Grand Central. *sigh* Bad enough I stayed up till 4am to catch the first train back to NY which takes 2 hours exactly, only to miss the important train that only leaves once a day at 7:15AM specifically, but it being on account of people just not wanting to help out?? Fucksakes. Anyway, I at least got to exchange my ticket for the next day (didn't even miss class or nuttin'), but it cost an extra $25 - which presently, I will fight to bill to the city of NY. :)

This little blunder, however, led to a GREAT result, though! That night just happened to also be the Halloween party night at Yale! So, with Bones as House from the "House" TV show, and Ainz as the little girl from "The Ring" (Gahhh, so scary!), I nabbed a quick well-to-do authentic Jason hockey mask and away we went. Quite a few great costumes, and Ainz was freakin the hell outta ANYbody who looked, cause she even went so far as to disjointedly walk around like the girl. *shudder* It was freaky. And of course, I did my best to walk slowly and speak as little as possible, tossing creepy blank-eyed glances all around as I went. Whee! No Freddy's to fight nor Mike Myers to contend with, though I did bump into Jesus who said, as I glared at him, "Hey! (he points) I'll get YOU later!" Hil-AR-ious. :)

Anyway, I got home on Sunday in one piece, and am presently finally readjusted fully to a normal way of sleeping when on campus. *L* My only regret thus far is not having a big meat cleaver or butcher knife to go with my mask.

Anyway, this week's been fun and constant all at once. Not much to report save that we burned Guy Fawkes a few days early so that the "kids" could go drinking on Thursday and have a debate about him. There was a whole mini-ceremony about it in the courtyard, as a straw-stuffed Guy was set ablaze, with a mock Bishop and officials leading us all in a scripted mob and singing of God Save The Queen. Whatta laugh!

Hmm. Aside from that, not much to report, except that it's friggin NOVEMBER. AHH! Where the hell is the year goin?... Guess I'd better start Christmas shopping...

More later! Hopefully a "me as Jason" picture post! :)

(oh, and FYI - http://spectre-general.livejournal.com/ is my friend Bones' LiveJournal. His wife is the creepy Ring lady pictured in the first post. Yee!)

PULL MY FINGER!

Go ahead! I dare ya! Pull it! :)

Seriously though, this wonderful inspiration comes from my friend Brian here at seminary. The dude is a freakin' wiz at the ol' Photoshop stuff. He yanked this pic off the vid previously shown here for that new movie that I hope comes out (someday...) and popped my face over its Hestonian visage. Ain't it SWEET?? It's freakin' AWEsome! Definately givin me some ideas for this Halloween...

Anywho, more later!

Local boy makes good!

...well, annoying but good. This is probably an old add to the folks at home, but I must share it to dovetail my last grumblings towards the stupid Nissan Bonavista commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c6_CBK4ufg

Go on! Go look at it! Oh, and for those who aren't all that in with the lingo, the subtitles use the term "wicked" a lot. That means "better than good", if not "excellent". Does that help? :) More later.

Moses the Mini-star

To all of you future reverends out there, and maybe even a few present ones who also read this blog perhaps looking for some insightful epiphanies, I say to you - why settle for the boring old title of "minister" when you can be a "mini-star"! (this silly spelling comes from a friend of mine who has a loose grasp on English and a tighter hold on her spell-checker) We both laughed after noticing not only the misspell of "ministar", which I quickly turned into what you see above.

Upon further inspection, and further application - personally, I like it! There's much to be said about it! I mean, just as we are all a small spark of the divine as part of being made in God's image, does that not, in the grand scheme of things, make us a glimering dot of quintesence in the cosmos? Does that not make us each a "mini-star"? Not unlike, but to a smaller sense, the planets themselves? Not unlike a chunk of space particle in the belt of Saturn or Uranus? Not unlike the spark of Donald in Keifer of the Sutherlands, or Martin in Antonio or Charlie of the Sheens?... Or... uh, oh. Wait... Huh. Well, maybe in the ... uh... in the sense of Hollywood stardom, anyway...

uh... nevermind.

So anyway, today's visual treat (also found atop the page) is from a rediscovered favorite of yours truly. Please feel free to go visit the Brick Testament site, where you will find more and more of the entire Bible visualized and summerized in some cases into sometimes profound, sometimes hilarious results. You'll notice Moses is to look like the "Hestonian" depiction. (that's Charlton to those who don't know) Heck, I love any site that tries to make Deuteronomy and Numbers funny. Fair warning, though, it's funny but blunt. It even gives warnings about the (ahem) PG13-ness of some parts, so be mindful in case you don't want the youngsters seeing it. Otherwise, much of it would make the Bible kinda fun/funny.

Go on! http://www.thebricktestament.com/

Oh, and to those for whom it is, have a great Mid-Term break!

10 Things I Hate About Commandments

Best Trailer to hit theatres in a long time. No doubt.

In all seriousness, this is probably the most hilarious example of the Moses story I've ever seen. And I own "Wholly Moses". Guh - Dudley Moore...

Anyway, enjoy! More to say later.

Avast Mateys!

Yarrr! So, up here at Trinity we've survived our first ever Div Pub! For those who don't know what that is, you may be more familiar with the term "Mixer". It's been my first order of business as our Event Coordinator to organize and all around "pull out of my ass" this event. Frankly, it was a complete success! Even with all the hoops jumped and bumps received.

What's so remarkable about the whole affair is that, even though we were only told on MONDAY it was our turn to do the Pub this week on THURSDAY, still we conquered! And we've got a rep to maintain up here too! Supposedly, as all the second, third and forth year undergrads have informed me, Div Pub is looked forward to all year due to it being "the best". Well, between the turn out, the mass consumption of almost every last drop and crumb of what we had served, and the kick ass tunes supplied by our own DJ "Sick Soundz", I have to say that we pulled off a damn fine boozefest for those "littl'uns". Heck, we even turned a profit, which most Pub's don't once they've payed off everything! Thanks to ALL the Div's who helped - Aaron, Jenn, Kristen, Liz, Marion and Nico. We rocked it all the way till 4AM and back!

Oh, and did I mention it was a PIRATE theme? Always a pleasure, I assure you, as the Isle of Iona and my wonderful friends would attest. Between a few of us getting dressed the part, costume pirate hooks in the snacks, patches on some, and temporary tattoos on the rest, we looked smashing. Big props to our girl Jenn who went all out as Pirate Wench! A finer barkeep for such a pirate occasion there's not been. :)

And that was just THURSday. Yeesh. I've been pretty much catching up on my sleep since then. So, to all who thought me MIA - no worries. More later!

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? :) )