Author Archives: Rob MacD

I hate to sound like a school girl.

But, oh. my. god.

You WILL fall in love with this video. (you may not fall in love with the fact that it’s Real Video)

The song is “Bad Luck” by Royal City

On a now defunct PEI themed web-board, I created an online game for the members of that board. We called it SurvivorPEI, and it followed, pretty much, the formula of the television version of Survivor. Two teams (eventually merged into a remaining group of individuals) of about 12-16 players competing in (sometimes whacky) challenges of my creation. Challenges that could by played entirely over the internet. The winner receives immunity, the losing team (or individuals) votes one of their own off.
We played it twice before, and each time was incredibly fun and always interesting. It was lots of hard work keeping the games moving, too the point where, despite the fun, I vowed to myself that I’d not ‘host’ another one.
Well, I’m hosting another one. Over at PEIinfo on their forum, we’ve just started a new ‘season’. I’ve changed the name of the game to Cut-Throat Island this time around. We are currently in the second round, where each team must send me instructions on How To Shower. The first round challenge was a google-based test: each team’s individual members had to send me a three-word google search that, when combined with all the other team searches, came as close as possible to 10,000,000 results.

The two teams this round are Zambooka and Axis of Feeble (names chosen by the players). Zambooka currently has 5 players, having lost one by losing the first round challenge. Axis of Feeble is still at the full complement of 6 players. Most players are Islanders, but there is one forum regular who is from California who is also playing.

If you’re interested, drop by the forum and keep updated on who gets their Throat Cut, and who connives enough to remain to the bitter end.

This morning, two very well-dressed-in-uniform young men from what I suspect is our local cadet regiment, came to our front door.
I opened the door, and immediately notice that the guy closest to me looked like a deer in the headlights. Perhaps I was his first stop? At any rate, he appeared to be pretty nervous. Nervous enought to make me suspect, despite the well-claddedness of the two.

“Hi?” I ask.
“Hi, um, we’re collecting. For (I now forget the charity he said, let’s say:) Children’s Wish Foundation.”
Why do I not see a receipt book?
“Collecting what?” I say. I’m surprised by how terse I sound.
This totally catches him off guard for a moment. His being caught off-guard increases my suspicions. Yet, I also begin to feel sorry for him, for how nervous he is.
“Um, money. Cheques. Um, whatever, like that.”
“Yeah” says the second guy. His only contribution to the scene. Even with that one ‘yeah’, I can tell that he’d be the leader of the two. The Alpha. I wonder why he’s not the guy to speak when the door opens.

“Sorry. No.” I say. The first guy nods, as if he knew the outcome all along. He was defeated even before his knuckles rapped on the door. I close my door.
I look out another window, and see a whole platoon of kids, all dressed in their cadet uniforms, swarming the neighbourhood.
I feel bad for not giving. But I couldn’t, in good conscience, give money to such an unproffesional ragtag duo.

I came across this comic at the Accordian Guy’s site.

I’ve only seen Peter a couple of times, from a distance, and through dirty glasses, but does the computer guy in the comic look like Peter Rukavina?

How uninterested have I become in watching American Idol? Last night, it was a tough decision between watching the final four sing on AI, or paper cutting my body and bathing in rubbing alcohol. Barely, just barely, I chose AI. I’ll save the paper cuts for the weekend.

How many times did guest judge Donna Summer, in her critiques, mention the fact that she, too, sings on stage. That’s how irrelevant Donna Summer has become. She needs to validate over and over again that she too was a star. I’m guessing, too, that Miss Summer missed the afternoon rehearsal, because she looked like she didn’t have a clue as to what was gonna happen next, or when she should talk, or for how long. At least, she warmed up enough to offer some honest-to-goodness criticisms.

Onto the competition:
Jasmine Treehouse: Well, surely, this is the final week for Hawaii’s Spring Tourism campaign. Really, for me, the only thing that disco ever had going for it, was that it can be fun and energetic music. I don’t know how she did it, but, boy, did Jasmine ever suck the fun and energy out of those songs. I pray to the Gods of Maudlin that her crying at the end of her final performance doesn’t sway The Idiotic Masses Of America™ to cast votes for her. Aloha, Jennifer

LaToya NewYorkLondonParisMunich: Thank goodness for Simon Cowell. His criticisms of LaToya were spot on last night. Great voice, consistently excellent singing, but no personality is coming through. Her second performance was better than her first, and both were very well sung, technically, but Dude, there’s nothing more there.
Speaking of “Dude!”, why did they reverse the order of the judges speaking? My theory is that they got tired of hearing Randy say, EVERY time: “It was aiight. A little pitchy, but it was aiight.”, followed by Paula’s “You know I love you. You’re a star already”. Now, though, Simon going first nails the criticism down right away, and leaves nothing left for the others. Also, now Randy doesn’t bother coming up with his own opinions. He just says he agrees with what Simon says. We all do, Randy. We all do.
LaToya will make it through to the final three. And, as good as she is, I think she might get upset next week by the upandcoming Diana. I believe The Idiotic Masses of America™ are tiring of LaToya’s lack of personality. Also, not smart of her to say ‘getting to final four is good enough. We’re all going to be successful’. If I was teetering between voting for her, or voting for someone else, that would have been the deciding factor for me. You’re happy enough to be final four? Okay, someone else gets my vote. Of course, that assumes the voters actually put thought into who they vote for. Never underestimate the lack of potential of TIMoA™

Fantasia Burrito: You may not like her voice. You may not like her personality, or the way she carries herself. But I don’t think you can deny that Fantasia is the only competitor left who has even a shred of “celebrity” in her genetic makeup. Whether you like her or not, she is the only one who would bring anything interesting to the title of American Idol. For the record, I like Fantasia and, with the few remaining beads of care I have left for this show, I am cheering for her.

Diana DelaGuardia: Okay, Diana’s been improving over the last couple of week’s, and she ended the show last night on a high note. Against all odd, I expect her to make a serious grab at getting to the final two. The best thing I can say about her is she is a second-rate Hillary Duff. Here is my problem with Diana: She is fake. In her I see the shallowness of the music industry. In her I see the handlers who are all about greedy potential for merchandise and marketing. And she appears to be more than willing to go along. Barely tolerable when she is singing, her willingness to be a slut to celebrity goes off the radar when she is not singing. Then she is all about smiling and playing along and being phony. Through her mannerisms and the way she behaves, I fully expect her to become whatever type of entertainer ‘those who know’ would want her to be to maximise her appeal to the greatest amount of people.

I see this, but I don’t expect The Idiotic Masses of America™ see this. Or rather, I expect they don’t care. Because of her willingness to be whatever, and America’s apathy, I predict she will win.

Holy Camoley, but this is a fantastic effin song.

I haven’t heard the original, which came out in 2003 on Iggy Pop’s “Skull Ring” album, but this version, dance-mixed courtesy of Felix da Housekat, is fantastic.
I mean, holy shit. Peaches and Iggy need to give us a whole album of duets because together they are almighty.
This song is raw, funny, rude, rockin’. When Iggy, at about the 2:50 mark, goes into the sex-punk mantra ‘titties titties titties…’ I always wanna break sumfin in honour of him. Right there, that glorious ecstacy, is the perfect punk moment for me. That it’s surrounded by 6 minutes of driving, pulsing dance beat only makes it better.

Check out Felix da Housekat’s mix of Iggy Pop’s Motor Inn by clicking here (7mb), or follow the arrow.

Holy Camoley, but this is a fantastic effin song.

I haven’t heard the original, which came out in 2003 on Iggy Pop’s “Skull Ring” album, but this version, dance-mixed courtesy of Felix da Housekat, is fantastic.

I mean, holy shit. Peaches and Iggy need to give us a whole album of duets because together they are almighty.

This song is raw, funny, rude, rockin’. When Iggy, at about the 2:50 mark, goes into the sex-punk mantra ‘titties titties titties…’ I always wanna break sumfin in honour of him. Right there, that glorious ecstacy, is the perfect punk moment for me. That it’s surrounded by 6 minutes of driving, pulsing dance beat only makes it better.

Check out Felix da Housekat’s mix of Iggy Pop’s Motor Inn by clicking here (7mb), or follow the arrow.

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For the ever of its existence, our home has used its own well from which we sucked water from an underground stream. This worked very well for us, and the water tastes pretty good.

Today, we get hooked up to the Charlottetown water supply, aka “city water”, and our well gets decommissioned.

It’s only costing $1400.00 to hook up, and we now get to pay an annual fee to have water supplied to us. Yesterday, water was free for us. We also will now benefit from the bonus of occasional chlorine-y tasting water and the odd boil order.

Good deal!

Of course, we are given the option to not hook up to ‘city water’. For that option, the option of not getting water supplied to us, we are only required to pay the water-supply fee every year. We would have to pay the water-supply fee in order to *not* get water supplied to us.

Good deal!

Inspired by The Accordian Guy from Accordian City, I present to you a sentence that I believe has never been written or thought by any human:

“An eardrum, like a cumquat, cannot possibly be held accountable for the sluice in my shoe.”

That is all.

On the sidebar here to your left, is a new feature, where I link to a download of a song that I think – no, I know – that you will like. I will change it on a whim, so if you want it, grab it. Of course, if you like it, buy the album.
I’d also appreciate hearing your thoughts on the selections that you decide to download. Did you like it? Did you not like it?

This first song is “25 Minutes To Go”, by Johnny Cash, which is on his Essential Johnny Cash 1955-1983 compilation, but is also on a number of other Cash albums. It was written by Shel Silverstein, one of my favourite poets.

It’s a song sung by a guy who, minute by minute, recounts his final 25 minutes of life, before he gets hanged. I’ve never heard any other versions of this song, but I love the way Cash sings it. At the beginning of the song, he’s rather cocky, a tough guy who kinda scoffs at the whole concept. That he is going to die hasn’t quite set in yet. But when the preacher shows up, with only 13 minutes to go, the finality of the situation really takes hold, and we begin to hear some cracks in the voice of that tough guy. Listen to the panic, regret and fear in his voice when there’s “just 4 more minutes to go”. Fantastic stuff, and perfectly illustrates to me what makes Johnny Cash so great.

I’ve read this song described as “jokey satire”, but I don’t agree (perhaps it is with other people’s renditions?) There may be humourous elements in the lyrics, and the upbeat tempo may bely the emotions that Cash expresses. But I don’t think Cash is joking.