Seven Spanish Senators

I don’t know who else caught the Chretien tribute on TV tonight. I saw about 40 minutes of it, and I don’t know if it’s my advancing age, or what, but I rather enjoyed what I saw.

I turned to it just as a wicked jazz trio were cooly burning down the joint (don’t get me to explain the physics of that). Sorry, didn’t remember the name of the piano jazz guy (which, by the way, is perfect Canadiana: a big tribute to your leader, and many of the performers are not household names), but they kicked it.
That was followed by the hosts’ banter. One host was Justin? Trudeau, the other’s name was Caslladh Shdohidsh (my ears avoided hearing her name). Their schtick was pretty standard, although Justin seems like a kinda hip, comfortable guy. In fact, their banter seemed very relaxed and off the cuff, even though it obviously wasn’t. So, kudos to them (can someone please inform them that I deemed their efforts kudos-worthy?)
Of course, one of the crosses we Canadians have to bear (bare?) is the bilingual official functions. I don’t mind it when people speak French then English. I don’t like the interpreter, though. An interpreter is necessary if one is watching the House of Commons (then again, so is Nembutol), but when it’s a casual speech or emcee situation, the interpretation really bugs me.
It was at this point that Karyn called out from the bath “What is that? It sounds like an American rah-rah propaganda type show”. I said that this show was, in fact, just the opposite of what the Americans would put on air, and that the next act was living proof of that theory.
The next act, of course, being some aged senator (no, not Daniel Alfredsson) and his two cronies performing a version of Seven Spanish Angels. Good god, I thought. Were BNL booked elsewhere? Gripping the couch cushion, I prepared myself for the worst. Turns out it was the highlight of the 40 minutes that I watched. They were fantastic. Not the greatest singers, looked nervous and all that, but it was totally charming. And charming in the best way, not in the ‘grade 4 recital’ charming way.
The Barra MacNeils performed next, but I yawned through that bit of done-to-death East Coast Representation. Then came Cirque de Soleil. Outstanding.
The last thing I saw before I switched to Survivor was the hosts announcing: “And now, Oscar Peterson!!” Oops, Oscar’s not ready yet. Fill Fill Fill…fill fill fill…fill fill fill. They were still filling time when I turned the channel. When I turned back during a commercial, I saw a couple of awful “congrats’ from the common-folk, and then the end of Paul Anka (as opposed to Paul Anka’s end…and I am, you know… opposed to Paul Anka’s end) singing what appeared to be a vegas-y rendition of My Way. So, maybe the 40 minutes I saw were the best?
All in all, this was a much longer post than I expected. But, then again, so was Chretien’s reign, so it all works out in Paul Anka’s end.

Picks on Someone Your Own Size

It’s taken me a full two weeks, after my abysmal pigskin prognosticating in which I went 4-10, to summon up the courage to post another round of weekend picks. Last time, I went up against 50/50 odds, up against the toss of a coin. I lost, with the coin getting 6 of 14 correct.

This time I go up against what I consider will result in a sure victory for me. I test my NFL picking skills against the skills of an NFL Neophyte, a mere babe-in-the-woods. This week I take on my 10 year old son, who chooses to know nothing about football.

So, here are the picks this week. (MP) indicates my picks, (CP) indicates Cameron’s:

Texans at Bills MP: Texans CP: Bills
Redskins at Panthers MP: Panthers CP: Panthers
Rams at Bears MP: Rams CP: Rams
Chiefs at Bengals MP: Bengals CP: Bengals
Cardinals at Browns MP: Browns CP: Cardinals
Ravens at Dolphins MP: Dolphins CP: Dolphins
Falcons at Saints MP: Falcons CP: Saints
Giants at Eagles MP: Eagles CP: Eagles
Jaguars at Titans MP: Titans CP: Jaguars
Chargers at Broncos MP: Chargers CP: Chargers
Jets at Colts MP: Colts CP: Jets
Vikings at Raiders MP: Vikings CP: Raiders
Lions at Seahawks MP: Seahawks CP: Lions
Packers at Buccaneers MP: Packers CP: Buccaneers
Cowboys at Patriots MP: Patriots CP: Cowboys
Steelers at 49ers MP: Steelers CP: 49ers

If I lose this week, next week I go up against my interpretation of cloud formations.

I am 87% Nerd Pure

Only 13% nerd. A very tolerable level of nerdity, if you ask me. Find out how Nerd you are here.

My test results:
You answered “yes” to 13 of 100 questions, making you 87.0% nerd pure (13.0% nerd corrupt); that is, you are 87.0% pure in the nerd domain (you have 13.0% nerd in you).
Your Weirdness Factor (AKA Uniqueness Factor) is 26%, based on a comparison of your test results with 378675 other submissions for this test.

The average purity for this test is 73.7%.

Hair de Har Har Har

I have a thick head of straight, fine hair. For as long as I can remember, it’s been the same style, same look. Parted on the side, combed back off the forehead. Also, for as long as I can remember, I’ve used gel to keep it in place. Over time, I have become far too dependant on the gel, to keep my hair in place. Too much in place, I realise, but, over time, it’s gotten to the point where I couldn’t go out without the gelled-hair.
But no more! Today I went gel-less for the first time in years. Yes, the hair was all over the place, all floofy and whatnot. All down over my forehead and straight and floofy. I don’t particularly like the feel of hair on my forehead, but by god, I’m gonna stick with it.
Let’s see where this gel-free head of hair takes me.

No Orange Headed Monster, This

But it’ll do, pig. It’ll do.

Will God Really Save The Queen?

At the cenotaph today, a couple of things struck me:

1) it’s rather neat to hear the low rumble of a few hundred people mumbling The Lord’s Prayer.

2) the song “God Save The Queen” fails me on both counts (or I fail it?). I don’t believe in God, and I don’t respect the divinity, or observance, of royalty.

3) I’ve further pinpointed what it is about the Remembrance Day ceremony that gets to me, emotionally. It’s when the veterans, each one, comes up to the monument and salutes. I imagine them, in that salute, remembering a particular awful memory, momentarily reliving the extraordinary hell of losing a friend or comrade, or the less-extraordinary hell of wet boots in the midst of gunfire, or the hell of whatever. That moment of salute, when the old soldier is once again the soldier he once was, rips a bit of my heart out of me.

Lest We Forget

Of all the ‘holidays’, Remembrance Day is the one that means the most to me. Really, it is the only one I can stand behind and endorse. It’s the only one that moves me. The religious holidays are nice for getting together with family and friends, but to my non-believing mind, they don’t have much of an impact. Thanksgiving is okay, but there is that ‘we stole your land’ vibe to contend with. Canada Day (our wedding anniversary, btw) is always fun, and does a good job at instilling the patriotic feeling, but it’s just a carnival.

Remembrance Day, though, is Honest and True.

I wonder what kind of soldier I’d have been in a combat situation. I would hope that I’d be the type who was among the first up the hill, or the type who’d sacrifice my life for others. I suspect, however, that I’m more selfish, more cowardly, more analytical than that. Of course, it’s because I’ve lived my life completely in a safe and secure country that I can afford to be selfish, cowardly and analytical. I wonder how I’d perform in a combat in which I truly believed I was fighting for right. I don’t know. For that lack of knowledge, I am thankful.

What I do know, though, is that I get very emotional at the Cenotaph when the old soldiers march and the bus of ailing veterans drives by. I appreciate true and honest sacrifice.

Jason Bateman. Yes, Jason Bateman

This is something of a confession: I’ve always appreciated the acting stylings of Jason Bateman. His talent, I thought, always was better than any TV show in which he could be found. Perhaps I’m confusing ‘talent’ with ‘ability to convey his likable personality’, but whatever it is, he made bad shows better.

Now he is in the new Fox sitcom Arrested Development, along with Jeffrey Tambor (of Larry Sanders fame), David Cross (of Mr. Show fame) and other quirky, enjoyable castmates. [I feel so Matt Rainnie, gone link crazy!] I saw my first episode (the series’ second episode) last night, and I found it quite funny. I recommend everybody check it out quickly, as I fear it’ll be cut down and cancelled soon by lack of viewership. This is the norm for most shows that don’t stick to the basic rules of sitcom success.

Jason Bateman. Yes, Jason Bateman

This is something of a confession: I’ve always appreciated the acting stylings of Jason Bateman. His talent, I thought, always was better than any TV show in which he could be found. Perhaps I’m confusing ‘talent’ with ‘ability to convey his likable personality’, but whatever it is, he made bad shows better.

Now he is in the new Fox sitcom Arrested Development, along with Jeffrey Tambor (of Larry Sanders fame), David Cross (of Mr. Show fame) and other quirky, enjoyable castmates. [I feel so Matt Rainnie, gone link crazy!] I saw my first episode (the series’ second episode) last night, and I found it quite funny. I recommend everybody check it out quickly, as I fear it’ll be cut down and cancelled soon by lack of viewership. This is the norm for most shows that don’t stick to the basic rules of sitcom success.

The Prams Have Been Zapped, Gentlemen

Just a friendly (‘you got some mayonnaise on your chin’ type) reminder that the conference is over now, yet advertising for it continues to be displayed on many sites. You might want to remove the ads and links to it.