I love Fall! It has to be my favorite season I think. It's beautiful, it's not too hot, the bugs die off, and there's...um...pumpkins and things. Don't get me wrong - I love Winter (snow, xmas, winter sports), it's right up there with Summer (beaches, vacations, archaeology). Even Spring has it's virtues (no more winter but it's not so hot yet). However, you just can't beat Fall for shear awesome-ness, it even has a few of my favorite holidays in it too. Maybe I just like having seasons? Anyway, how about a salute to seasons then...
[ A year passed. Winter changed into Spring. Spring changed into Summer. Summer changed back into Winter. And Winter gave Spring and Summer a miss and went straight on into Autumn. Until one day...] Note: Unfortunately, I couldn't find an actual video clip but I'm sure other dorks like me can visualize it.
You may remember Chris Cornell from such bands as Sound Garden (1984-1997) and Audioslave (2001-2007). Soundgarden released seven albums over the years and Audioslave released 3 and Chris has also released 2 solo albums so far (Euphoria Morning in 1999 and his new album Carry On). He also was the founder and frontman for Temple of the Dog which released a self title album in 1991. And he has contributed and played with many bands including Alice in Chains under the band name "Alice Mudgarden" in 1992 (that's for Kim, the Mud part is because the song also involved Mark Arm from Mudhoney on vocals). He has many credits for contributing to soundtracks for movies and video games too (like the title song for Casino Royale). There is a bio, among other things, on the official website. Anywho, let's just say he is friggin' awesome and so was his concert! Woohoo! Oh and the base player was wicked (he's on the right but I forget his name), at one point Chris was singing at him and he was playing back what he sang! It was sweet, but Kim totally missed it because she was distracted by a jerk. Of course the whole band was amazing, great guitar and some pretty cool drum solos (during which the whole band would throw things at him but they couldn't break his concentration). Chris played so many great songs it's hard to say a favorite, Kim will extol the virtues of the acoustic medly of songs that he played in the middle of the concert, I was just pleased that he played Hunger Strike (I love that song). I couldn't find a video from the concert but here is one from when he was in Winnipeg:
As we all know I am all about the safety so I thought I would take the time to explain the do's and do not do's of approaching the wily and elusive helicopter.
One must be sure not to make any sudden movements as this might startle the creature. Be sure to approach from a safe distance and make sure that you have made eye contact and wait for a sign of recognition before getting closer. When you do approach always be aware of the ferocious tail and steer clear.
Most domesticated helicopters that you will meet have been equipped with saddlebags or some similar apparatus or compartment to pack extra gear but these must be utilized with caution as approaching the beast from the side or the rear leaves you open to attacks and, once again, will invariably make the animal nervous and aggravated.
Next time: killing and field dressing the wild helicopter! Stay tuned! Also, helicopters are better with the Simpsons (sorry it's in English).
This is my new Olympus Stylus 7.1MP Waterproof Digital Camera (770SW). It is shockproof up to 5ft and I can take pictures in the rain (or underwater). The instructions even recommend that you immerse it in water if it gets dirty! See, I wanted an indestructable camera because, you know, besides being accident prone I work in the field. Anyway, the salesguy picked up the display camera of this and smashed it on the counter! Cool stuff. They even knocked $50 off but it was because he wanted me to buy the 4 year warranty. Also it takes video and has really good macro even if the zoom could be better. I brought it with me to do my helicopter work and I was pleased. And of course, cameras are better with the Simpsons (this time in italiano, no more english Simpsons for you).The guys who run this blog are pretty funny, in their profile they have an audio clip of them singing the "Oh Mindy" song. Hahaha, those wacky Italians.
So this is what my family would look like "Simpsonized" according to http://simpsonizeme.com/ . You upload a closeup of your face to the program and it churns out a reasonable Simpson-esque facimile of you.You do have to tweak them a little but I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out! They were all pretty much the same no matter what picture I used (although I could get my Dad with varying degrees of stubble and sometimes the program would pick up on glasses and sometimes it wouldn't) except for L's pic. The one below came from a pic from when we were in PEI whereas this one came from a less scruffy pic. Ah the many faces of L. [NOTE: Later I tried another pic of me and it came out with the picture to the right, pretty different! Also I figured out how to add a nose piercing. The program definitely had the most trouble with little C and my pics.] Anywho, it's all an advertising ploy (see commercial on YouTube here) from Burger King (sucks, blech! also their mascot creeps me out) and the Simpson's Movie (awesome, loved it!) but it's pretty neat anyway. I don't mind being exposed to advertising if I get something cool out of it, better than a normal commercial.
Small sidebar rant: Remember when there were no commercials at the movies? Most people do because it really has only taken hold in the last 7 or 8 years or so. What a racket eh? People actually PAY to watch these commercials and no one can change the channel. At least in the beginning the commercials were cooler or higher budget than the ones on TV, but now they are exactly the same and you see the same ones every time you go. Maybe it's a response to the ability that many of us have developed to selectively ignore advertising in our daily lives (it's because there is so much of it that our advertising receptors are overloaded). To be effective, advertisers need to get us all when we are: 1. paying attention to a large surface that can be advertised upon, and b. in a good mood. Where else but at the movies and at major sporting events do you get that kind of opportunity? I guess what I'm saying is you can't blame advertisers for wanting to do it, but I do anyway. Also, advertising is better with the Simpson's...and in German (since I got such good feedback from the last time).
Look at my new baby! Isn't it pretty?! He is a Beaver Creek BCB05 4 string acoustic base. He is 124cm tall and 42cm wide at the bottom. The case is huge and looks like it could hold a cello! I love it but oh man do my fingers hurt!
What an absolutely hilarious little production! Up there with the Angry Alien 30 second bunny movies for sure, if a little lower tech. This is Rabbit and Mouse from Meerkatmedia. They are basically flash videos of black and white drawings about the misadventures of a rabbit and mouse. They have a MySpace page here but their website with the actual videos is here. Anyway, here is a video they did called "you, a rock, or nothing". I was totally betting on the rock to win, dang.
So what do you do when you don't have cable? Go outside? Read a book? Write your thesis? NO you fool! You turn to the internet:
There are sites that are hubs to take you to videos of TV and movies posted on the internet. For example, Alluc.org, Ch131, FreeTVonline, and SurfTheChannel. Besides that many TV stations from CTV to MTV have a lot of online content (in fact most networks have many of their shows viewable online) I am so not going to make a list of them (it's called Goggle boys and girls). Although many channels have video that is not viewable in Canada due to copyright laws (but you can get around that sometimes by going through a Canadian channel that carries the show, such as Global for SNL videos) . That being said, there are sites like wwiTV that give you links to hundreds of TV stations with online content, broadcasts, and streaming video from all over the world (there are like 6 music TV stations from Poland, who knew?). There are quite a few wacky stations out there (the Canadian ones are the standard fare, mostly CBC, there are a lot of online religious channels from the States). Beeline TV is much the same but arranged by language of the station instead of country of origin. These sites can't possibly list all stations though and they don't.
Now of course there is YouTube for all your video needs but there are other similar sites that are more geared towards movies and TV like vid2c, DivX has Stage 6, Megavideo, and Veoh has a lot of movies and videos (but sometimes the content is restricted to members).
Don't worry D, life without TV ain't so bad (though I guess I do have those 3 fuzzy channels), eventually you'll learn to live again. Welcome to the world of goal oriented watching, where TV isn't the background noise of your life. And, as always, TV is better with the simpsons:
p.s. Unfortunately, I could see this actually happening. Ha, ha! Imagine a whole thesis worth of "no TV and too much beer make Denise go crazy! Urge to kill RISING!"):
Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan was the first professional summer Shakespeare festival other than Stratford and Toronto. Unlike Calgary's sumer theatre it is held in tents by the river which are set up and completely torn down every summer. Also, while it is done by professional actors it costs money. Anyway, was rally good and I was pleased.
There seems to be a bit of a theme but I can't quite put my finger on it...hmmm.
Here is a video which answers the age old question, "What if Die Hard were a 20's black and white silent movie?" Some mildly offensive racial slurs and they take out all the violence but they had their priorities mixed up back then.
Badgers are Mustelids (members of the Weasel family) and are related to such smelly and/or angry animals as wolverines, ferrets, otters, fishers, martens, and minks. Yeah sure he looks cute but he'd kill ya soon as look at ya. They are the only carnivore in Canada that burrows after and eats other burrowing animals, so we like them here because they eat things like ground squirrels (and anything else they can get there claws on). The species of badger that occurs in North America is the North American badger (Taxidea taxus) which is somewhat related, but quite different from the European badger (Meles meles). Badgers are very distinctive looking, especially their faces (a good way to tell between the Euro and north american badger is by snout length). Badgers have a noticeable white stripe that runs down the top of their head as well as black cheek patches (called “badges” which is how badgers get their name). They are about 60-90 cm (2-3 ft.) in length and generally weigh about 7-8 kg (15.4-17.6 lbs.) for adult females and 10-14 kg (22-30.8 lbs.) for adult males. Badgers have a sort of “flattened” appearance because their hair is short on their backs and long on their sides (also because they have stubby little legs). Their forefeet are actually much larger than their hindfeet (all the better for burrowing with grandma). Badgers are quite highly adapted for digging and can actually dig up to a metre deep in a minute! Now is that a probe or a test he's digging because I doubt that takes screening into account.
Now to the good stuff. The Taxidea taxus' (left below) dental formula is I 3/3; C 1/1; P 3/3; M 1/2. The P4 has a medial shelf and a hypocone. Transverse rows of cusps on the M1 are distinctive, yet exhibit some variation within the genus. The m1 has a well-developed trigonid and a talonid with a central hypoconid and entoconid.
This is in contrast to Meles meles (right) which has a much more flattened M1
(Pop Quiz: which one is more omnivorous?).
It has a relatively short rostrum, and robustjaws at the rostral end of the skull and at the base it has a triangular shaped occipital and enlarged tympanic bullae. The "wrap-around" jaw hinge means that lowerjaw cannot be removed from skull. Male badgers have a prominent sagittal crest which increases in size with age.
This is all because I saw this awsome badger in a den the other day. I love seeing wild badgers!
The first thing you need to learn about bettin' on the ponies is how to read the racing form. Racing forms are sort of like the periodic tables of horse racing. There is a whole bunch of information crammed into a small space but it is only useful if you already know what numbers are where and what they mean.
Yes you can just go and randomly pick a number (which I have done), or colour (which I have also done). FYI the same numbers are always the same colours. Or, if you are a little more advanced, on the coolness of the horse name. But I feel it is important not be ignorant (or at least attempt to be conversant with basics of anything you are going to spend money on) so here is an interactive tutorial on racing form literacy.
At the top of the page for a given race will have the number of the race (say 2 if it is the second race), the type of race it is (say 6 furlongs), what sorts of horses are competing, what the purse is, weights, and any other general info about the race itself, as well as any allowed combination or multiple bets. See the tutorial for the rest.
Now that you know all the info you need to pick your winners (like if it has a cool name), here's how to bet.
Straight or Single bets:
This is the simplest and most common bet placed on a single horse. Obviously the more complex (and unlikely) the bet, the higher the payoff (that's why they call it gambling boys and girls). But this isn't always the case because the payoff is based on the odds given, but also on how many people make the same bet as you do. So, for example, sometimes the payoff on a bet to show on a favorite horse to win is higher than the to place payoff. Straight bets include:
Win bet. Simple, you bet on which you think will win. If they do, you collect. Usually the posted odds are based on returns on a win bet. Place bet. A wager for place means you collect if your selected horse finishes either first or second. Show bet. A wager to show means you collect if your selected horse finishes either first, second or third.
Combination Bets:
Combinations cover from two to four horses to win in chosen order. Any given race will always allow all straight bets, but will only allow certain combination bets (these will be listed on the racing form next to the number of the race). Combination bets include: Quiniela. A bet placed on two horses to finish first and second in either order. Perfecta or Exacta. A bet placed on two horses but they must cross the finish line in exact chosen order. Trifecta. A bet placed on three horses to cross the finish line in exact chosen order. Superfecta. A bet placed on four horses to cross the finish line in exact chosen order.
Multiple bets: Bets across multiple races different races. Low odds, high pay outs. You won't win these unless you drugged the horses. Some common multiple bets include:
Daily Double: Similar to an accumulator you select the winners of the first and second races on that day. You must place your bet before the start of the first race.
Pick 3. This wager requires the player to pick the winners of three consecutive races. Some race tracks have a rolling pick 3, which is when the player must pick three races in a row and it continues for the next three races. Also comes in pick 4 or even 6. Parlay or Accumulator. A kind of 'let-it-ride' bet. Making simultaneous selections on two or more races with the intent of pressing the winnings of the first win on the bet of the following race selected, and so on. All the selections made must win for you to win the parlay. If a race is a tie, postponed or cancelled, your parlay is automatically reduced by one selection; a double parlay becomes a straight bet, a triple parlay becomes a double. A parlay bet can yield huge dividends if won, but good luck with it.
OK so you know what race you are betting on, what horse(s) you want, and what kind of bet you want to make. So now what? Well, the minimum bet is usually $2, you go up to the nice people behind the counters who want to take your money and say, "number 3 to win in the 5th" and give them your toonie. Well, don't say that EVERY time unless you only ever go to race number five and only like to bet on 3. Anyway, you get the idea. For a quiniela you might say "$2 quiniela, numbers 5 and 6". If the results of the first two horses are either 5-6 or 6-5, you win.
There are also special sorts of bets in which you box out multiple horses for a bet. These cost more, but you are slightly more likely to win. For example in a Quiniela Box you pick three or more horses. You win if any two of your selections finish first and second. To bet you say "$2 quiniela box on 4,5 and 6". You are making three separate bets so your minimum bet is $6. If they finish 4-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-5, 5-4 or 5-6, you win. You can box as few as three or as many as the field (all the horses in the race) but this costs more.
With a Trifecta it is much the same. For a straight Trifecta you say "$2 trifecta numbers 7,4 and 5" and you win if they finish in that order, but with a Trifecta Box you pick three horses to finish first, second and third, in any order. To bet you say "trifecta box 2,3 and 5." You are actually making six $2 bets, so your total bet is $12. If they finish 2-3-5, 2-5-3, 3-2-5, 3-5-2, 5-2-3 or 5-3-2, you win. More commonly there is a Trifecta Key in which you pick your favorite horse to win, then two or more others to place and show in any order. To bet you say "trifecta key on 1 with 2 and 3." You are actually making two $2 bets so your total bet is $4. To win your Key horse must win and the other two must finish either 1-2-3 or 1-3-2.
Anyway, I've never made one of these kind of crazy bets myself. I like to stick to my little $2 bets and hope to break even and maybe make a few pennies to pay for a snack. This isn't too hard to do making easy bets and, even if you do lose all night, if you stick to your little bets you won't be out more than the price of a movie and popcorn (as D would say). Well that's it for this installment of how to do fun stuff. I couldn't find a horse racing clip but at least I can say that gambling is better with the Simpsons:
I was also privilaged enough to see the blues legend Buddy Guy play at the Bess Gardens. Now that's good blues! Among other things, he went out into the crowd (see below), cussed out a guy for not listening to his stories, and rambled on incoherently about guitar players he's known and even imitated the guitar stylings of such musicians as Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix to illustrate. Good stuff!
Though woefully ignorant about the particulars of the White Stripes' awesome Canadian tour, I was the happy witness to both their official concert and the secret show at Eastview Bowl on July 1st. What a way to celebrate Canada Day! Both concerts were amazing (for different reasons)! The real concert itself was great (we had amazing seats) but a little different because we were sitting down (it was at the TCU), but I think that added to it because no drunk people could spill beer on you. The stage was all red and had a candy striped drum set on the left and a bunch of keyboards, guitars, etc. on the right. They played some faves from their albums, some new stuff from Icky Thump and a bunch of different things (hmmm stuff and things). During the encore Meg sang "In the Cold,Cold Night" while Jack hid behind the drums and played the simple background guitar. I bought a poster it was great. Overall I'd say different and brilliant!
Here is their website and here is their myspace. Also, even though there was a request for no video, some rebels out there took video anyway. Of course, being a good girl I didn't but that doesn't mean that I won't benefit from those who did (until it is ripped off Youtube that is). It's a fine moral line but what are ya gonna do.
At the bowling alley:
At the concert (can you spot me down there?): Also, like everything, White Stripes are better with the Simpsons... Update: Turns out we were especially lucky to have had the opportunity to see them because they have decided to scrap the rest of their tour (the American leg) due to Meg's anxiety and say they won't tour anymore!
I thought I would continue on in the vein of nostalgic remembrances of wacky shows that my brother and I share by picking one from the 90's. Remember when Ren and Stimpy was on MuchMusic? Ahh for the glory days when George wasn't trying to make CBC cool and Rick was still "the temp" and slightly less horrible than he is now. Characterized by IMDB as "The gross misadventures of a hyper chihuahua and a stupid cat", it ran for 5 seasons starting in 1991. If you were old enough to have watched/remember Ren and Stimpy and think it was gross and/or stupid...you're right, but man there are some super funny random bits! And for your information it was nominated for an Emmy 3 times for outstanding animated program (in '92, '93, and '94) as well as multiple less mainstream awards. For those of you who may have been born in the 90's and their big sisters didn't allow them to watch this kind of drivel...well you're old enough now so here you go.
There are a few sketches that I remember fondly for their complete insanity: the "In the army" episode where R&S go to boot camp and the drill sergeant drives Ren insane from lack of sleep. I hate it when people let loose the marmosets! ("I'm the keeper of the cheese, and you're the lemon-merchant..."), of course the Royal Canadian Yaksmen song, and the salesman sketch where R&S try to sell rubber nipples to a paranoid horse ("Do I know you?"): My very favorite episode of all time is the Space Madness episode (I originally had this video up but it was taken down :( But, now it's up again! Hurray!). I know everyone will think I'm a dork but I could probably recite this episode word for word, I just thought it was so hilarious that it stuck with me. "They think I'm crazy! But I know better..."
A special bit of nostalgia for my brother. Possibly one of the funniest shows ever, Police Squad! ran for only one season in 1982 and had only six episodes. Later, it was the inspiration for several Naked Gun movies (but they weren't as good). Some of you may recognize such hilarious quotes as "we'll get the lab boys on it".
I love Fall! It has to be my favorite season I think. It's beautiful, it's not too hot, the bugs die off, and there's...um...pumpkins and things. Don't get me wrong - I love Winter (snow, xmas, winter sports), it's right up there with Summer (beaches, vacations, archaeology). Even Spring has it's virtues (no more winter but it's not so hot yet). However, you just can't beat Fall for shear awesome-ness, it even has a few of my favorite holidays in it too. Maybe I just like having seasons? Anyway, how about a salute to seasons then...
