Stuff and Nonsense

Bruce in Buffalo

2012-01-28T11:11:00.002-07:00

It's been an eventful morning. I was up at 5, showered, dressed, and out the door by 5:15...and back in the house by 5:20 when the Mirthmobile's battery once again died. I was on my way to a pub called the Winkin Owl to watch the Liverpool/Manchester United F.A. Cup fourth-round tie; instead I watched it from home, and after Dirk Kuyt scored in the 88th minute to give Liverpool a barely-deserved victory I moved on to the morning's next task: getting tickets to see Bruce Springsteen in Buffalo. Alas, I'd never really dealt with tickets.com till today--but after spending almost two hours getting $36 upper bowl seats it'll be a long time before I complain about Ticketmaster again. I had two computers locked into two virtual waiting rooms; in the end I got the tickets over the phone, something I can't remember doing since getting Heppler his Thunder Bay Pearl Jam tickets in 2005, and by the time I finally got through there was precious little available. But whatever: we're in the building and have at least a bit of leverage to play the upgrade game. In the meantime, here's the lead single from Springsteen's forthcoming album, Wrecking Ball, due out March 6. That's, uh, quite the overt Arcade Fire influence there, Boss.

Back from Mars, Off to Latin America

2012-01-25T13:33:00.001-07:00

I Mother Earth finally announced a kind-of-reunion, which for now appears limited to a single show and a blog by guitarist Jag Tanna that pays no obvious concessions to editing or proper grammar (but which is also a lot more informative than the typical band interaction with its fanbase). The show is March 23 at the Sound Academy in Toronto...and I won't be there, because I'll once again be spending March in South and Central America! This year's itinerary recalls the delightful chaos of 2010 and includes, among other things, a first-ever visit to Venezuela, a potential side trip to Rio de Janeiro, and at least two 3am wake-up calls:

March ???: to Brazil (either Rio or Sao Paulo)
March 7 & 8: Sao Paulo
March 8-10: Brasilia
March 10-13: Lima
March 13-15: Quito (Michael? Alana?)
March 15-17: Caracas
March 17-20: Guatemala City
March 20-22: San Jose, CR

And then, who knows? I won't be chasing the Claw again this year, but a plan is in the works to spend a week on a beach in Costa Rica. Remind me about this if I ever complain about my job ever again.

Discovering My Inner Jew, Part II: My Great Aunt's Written History, Continued

2012-01-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

In the end my great aunt Annie--"Auntie Annie"--left us with ten pages of family history. These are the final two, presented out-of-sequence; the second contains what I'd imagine are the seeds to the Olsen family Jewish question (it also makes way more sense on the written page). The real work starts next, but for now...

Something I remembered—
This was told me [sic] by Mrs. Mary Kustra one day when we had Bible Studies with Mrs. Bennett [Pastor Allan Bennett's wife]. Mary Kustra was Mary Conrad. The Conrad family lived in the same neighbourhood as the Wasky family. This happened before 1921. Mary said that she + her sisters used to "play" with my Wasky cousins. One day Mary came over to the Wasky's [sic]—She opened the kitchen door + she saw "all these people on their knees." She quickly closed the doors + left. [At this point you should all get your heads out of the gutter. Seriously. Get 'em out--now.] She didn’t understand what was going on--at the time. But now she said "I know--they were on their knees praying.” What a change in that household. Where once they had wild parties--now it was a prayer meeting.

(Auntie Annie and I--and, indeed, the rest of the entire world--have slightly divergent understandings of what constitute "wild parties.")

The Wasky family in the States
Mrs. Alex(ander) (Alexandra) Grandmother and our Mother's (Kross) Grandfather were sister + brother
Therefore their parents were cousins
Father's (Kross) Grandmother and Mrs. Wasky's (Alexandra’s) Grandfather were sister + brother
Therefore their parents were cousins
So that we are distant cousins of the Wasky's [sic] in U.S.A. – Nancy-Walter-Sasha-+Michael (dead)
This Mike was a Teacher--he came to help on the farm + was killed by a [illegible, but looks like "Traitor"]
Aunt Harpina Wasky--husband John
Children--Sara, Sam, Annie, John (Jr.)
Nancy Grunley [this name is circled]

Again, this makes more sense on the written page. And again, I'd imagine this is the crucial page; it's the one that provides a furtive link to the United States, and it's there, probably in the Texas Panhandle, that the answer to the Jewish question lies. Where do we go from here? I don't know--but it'll be fun finding the way.

Up the Pincher Creek

2012-01-23T16:17:00.001-07:00

Let me tell y'all what it's like being male, middle class and white and stranded in Pincher Creek, Alberta (look it up on a map!). It happened to me on Saturday after I'd spent the day poaching pow at nearby Castle Mountain with Tall n' Blonde, her brother Jamie, and her friend Emily. We'd actually planned on spending the night in Pincher Creek anyway, but then we decided to cancel our hotel reservation and drive back to Calgary instead. But we stopped in Pincher Creek to fill up Tall n' Blonde's Toyota RAV4--and that's when things got interesting. Because that's when the car, without warning and for no apparent reason, died. Our immediate thought was that Tall n' Blonde had filled it up with diesel--makes perfect sense if you know her--but that didn't turn out to be the case. And so we flagged down a passing truck and gave the floundering RAV4 a jump.

The car started...and then the power steering cut out, so Tall n' Blonde decided to drive it around the parking lot of an adjacent mall. Everything appeared to be running smoothly--and then Jamie suggested, quite reasonably I thought, that the best way of making sure the power steering was working properly would be to do donuts. We were driving to an empty part of the lot when the car, once again, and again without warning or apparent cause, died. It just stopped working. Thus, as the four of us sat there inside a dead RAV4 next to a Tim Hortons, we discussed our options.

We had to take the vehicle somewhere--preferably somewhere in Calgary, and so Tall n' Blonde called CAA. They informed her that she had 160km of free towing...but that would only take us as far as Okotoks, a good forty minutes south of the city (although crucially there's an Okotoks Toyota dealership...more on this in a second). They also told her the tow truck could only take two passengers. By now we'd retreated to a table inside Tim Hortons, and after scouring our cellphone contact lists and deciding (accurately, I'd imagine) that no one would be willing to drive from Calgary to Pincher Creek and back again on a Saturday night, we decided that Tall n' Blonde and Emily would ride with the tow truck to Okotoks (and that Emily's parents, unbeknownst to them at this point, would meet them there and drive them back to Emily's house in Calgary) while Jamie and I would find a hotel room for the night. Remember, we'd just cancelled a reservation. And after confirming what we already knew--i.e., that there were no rental car companies in Pincher Creek--we put our plan into action. The tow truck arrived ahead of schedule and Tall n' Blonde and Emily piled in. Jamie and I threw our bags over our shoulders and trudged across the street to the Super 8, hoping weekend ski traffic wasn't too intense and that we'd find ourselves a room.

We did, and we spent the night eating pizza and drinking beer and watching Hockey Night in Canada. The girls, meanwhile, got to Okotoks, where Emily's parents were waiting to drive them back to Calgary. The next morning Tall n' Blonde and Emily got into Emily's car and drove back to Pincher Creek, where Jamie and I had just finished watching Manchester United's 2-1 win over Arsenal. In the end, we two had it good--much better than the girls, as it turns out, whose punishment was four additional hours inside a vehicle. As for the dead RAV4, a friend of Angie's deduced--correctly--that its battery had simply died as we were pulling into the gas station. He somehow convinced a friend of his to drive with him down to Okotoks, where he installed a new battery (no idea how he got the keys, by the way) and drove the car back to Calgary. I got home yesterday at 2pm exhausted from both the skiing and from the uncomfortable Super 8 bed...but at least we got a reasonably good story out of it.

Two reasonably good stories, actually. Remind me to tell you about being stuck at the bottom of a ravine and using my skis as makeshift icepicks!

Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together

2012-01-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

I Mother Earth is reuniting. Probably. And I'm pretty excited.

Firstly, the news...or, well, "the news," since nothing's been officially announced. There've been whispers of an impending IME reunion for years, but they've suddenly begun gathering speed. Earlier this month a brand-new I Mother Earth website appeared whose sole content is a downward-tickling clock that'll hit zeroes January 24. Meanwhile, Brian Byrne posted posted a Facebook message reading, "I guess its [sic] official! Pretty pumped! Here is to a new year in music and fun with my best friends!" The band's new Twitter handle is @IMENation2012, which seems telling. Speaking of Twitter, on Saturday I wrote

Even thinking about an I Mother Earth reunion makes me giddy. Hurry up and get here, January 24! #headspace #alone #shapeless

The band re-tweeted me. Something clearly seems to be afoot.

Secondly, the reasons I'm pretty excited. IME was at their peak when they suddenly dropped off the face of the earth back in 2003. Their last--latest?--album, The Quicksilver Meat Dream, might also be their best, while the IME live show was revitalized when Byrne hooked up with Bruce Gordon and the Tanna brothers in 1999. (Edwin--the band's former singer who seemed to view performing as a chore--was last seen fronting Crash Karma as well as tending bar at Tattoo Rock Parlour on Queen Street West.) I've seen them six times, most recently at the Cocamo in Kingston in September 2003, a show that was notable for "Good for Sule" and the best version of "Levitate" I've ever heard and an audience that dispersed as soon as IME made way for the night's ostensible headliners (the wretched Theory of a Deadman). IME concerts at Jock Harty Arena and Cocomo bookended my undergraduate years at Queen's. In October 2002 Cousin Cam and I saw an IME show at the old Palais Royale that culminated with Brian Byrne dangling upside down over the audience during "Rain Will Fall". And on June 29, 2000, I was pressed up against the stage at Coyote's in Thunder Bay as IME delivered one of the most satisfying concerts I've seen to this day (at which they opened with "Love Your Starfish", played "Pisser", and covered "Forty-Six & 2" by Tool).

So hurry up and get here, January 24! I'm excited to renew my vows with one of my favourite bands, nine years after it looked like I'd never have that opportunity again.

Discovering My Inner Jew, Part I: My Great Aunt's Written History

2012-01-14T11:41:00.001-07:00

It's time--time to begin unravelling a centuries-old mystery that'll (hopefully) answer an age-old Olsen family question:

Are we Jewish?

I think we are. Circumstantial evidence suggests as much--but over Christmas crucial information emerged that demands further investigation. So far it's led me to a book called The Borschow Name in History, obituaries in British Columbia, and virtual archives in Austin, TX and Tempe, AZ. It's led to the Texas panhandle, to El Paso, where generations of Borschows have lived since the late-nineteenth century. It's led to the uncovering of a letter, since burned, that allegedly claimed we're descendants of a cantor from Berlin. And it's led to a family history written by my late great aunt that traces our conversion to Christianity. This same great aunt burned the letter, sent from a woman in Texas, that told of our apparent Judaism.

Clearly there's a bigger story here, and so I've decided to start telling in...and what better place to start than my great aunt's family history? I spent a couple nights this week transcribing it, leaving her original formatting anad grammatical errors intact (you'll find a lot of [sic]s scattered throughout the document) and allowing the story to be told through her two-decades-old words. Fair warning: this is long (over 2,000 words). But it's an intriguing starting point, as well as a crucial map towards an answer.

My father – Nick Cross + Mother Natalia

I decided to write a short history of my parents –and especially how they became Christians.

Father Nikita was born in Russia in a small village of NAME [sic]. It is still there + brother Steve had the great privilege visiting there [sic]. Father was born in 1892—Sept. 15. He attended the village school and doing very well [sic]. His teacher suggested he should go to a higher school. She even offered to pay for his schooling but his father Simeon, [sic] said “He can read + write; recite the Lord’s Prayer and so that is enough education.”

Father married Natalia Borchowa. She was born in 1891 according to records but it was always said that she was a year younger then [sic] father.

In 1914—Jan. I was born. That year father left for Canada.My aunt Harpina Wasky with daughter, Sarah, were coming to Canada to join her husband John Wasky. He was already here in Fort William—he had a house. So it followed that father came along with my aunt to Fort William. The house was on Stanley Ave—where the present residence of the Wasky’s [sic] is. But it was a large, yellow siding house. The war started shortly after they came here and at one time the Wasky’s [sic] had many staying with them. (This was the War of 1914.) In fact I have heard it said that there were as many as 17 people in that house. Those were War years—men had no jobs and our Aunt fed them + clothed + washed etc for them. One of the men who was there was Alexander Wasky—John’s brother. Also Mr. Lepa [sp?] was there. Then there were at least 3 more men from our Village.

[Page 2]

Now remember Bill + Rita + Robert?

Bill’s grandmother (Maria) and my grandfather Semen [sp?] Kross (Volaboff [sp?]) were brother and sister.

Bill’s grandfather—Kandrat (Maria’s husband) was brother to our grandmother Irena Borshowa. So we are related both through father’s and mother’s side.

So Bill’s mother was cousin to our mother + father.

Grandfather Borschow [note spelling discrepancy] had a sister—I knew her as Melianuka—she was married to Melian—there were no children + he died before I ever knew him. But she died in 1935.

Grandmother Borschowa [which is which?] had a brother who married a Jewish girl. They had 2 children—Peter + Fanny. Fanny never married. Peter married a cousin of my father + later remarried—we heard. But there were 2 girls from his first marriage who later lived in Siberia. Peter was my “godfather.” These are dead now. One of these daughters was a Dr. The name was Machnenko (Peter + Fanny). One of Peter’s daughters was a Dr in Siberia.

Most of this information was given to me by Fred’s sister Katia, when I corresponded with her [sic] I asked her many questions about people I remembered. Katia is still living but not well; doesn’t know who she is—she is a well-educated person—teacher till retired—attended schools in Moscow.

[Page 3]

My Father’s Side.

Father’s father was Semeyon Prochorovich Kross... [illegible]. He died July 15, 1947—age 90 yrs.

Grandmother—Anastasia Denisovna Petrochenko (maiden name). Died at 72 years (other info lacking). She had no sisters but there were brothers.

Their children

1. Elizabeth—died 1980 Dec 1. Born Aug. 31—1886—Actually she was 96 when she died. (My info is from letters (old)). She had 1 son. Fedor—has 2 children.

2. Nick Kross (my father). Born Sept 15—1892. Died Aug 4—1... [illegible]. Married Natalia Borchow in 1913.
Children: Annie—Jan 1—1914; Bill (Wasyl [sp?]) Jan 1—1922; Nina (Olsen)—Jan 5—1924; John—Sept 1—1925; Steve—Augst. 22—1927; Elizabeth (Gandrud) July 30—1929

3. Tatiana—sister to father—died young—shortly after 192... [illegible]. She had one daughter Elena—married + lives in Siberia.

4. Fedos—died 1943 in War. –Was married 2 times. Luda who visited us is the Granddaughter of Fedos. Sasha is Luda’s mother. There were 5 others—(2 sons 3 daughters). Sons—Wasil, Ivan—killed in War II. [No third son is listed.] Daughters—Sasha (2 daughters), Sonia (2 children), Zelna [sp???] [this part is confusing]

5. Tihon [sp??]—Died in War 1943 Sept 6. His wife died June 20—59—her information... [illegible]. Sons—Peter, Anatoli; Daughters—Nina (had 2 children/sons [?]), Valentina + Lydia (died)

Natasha—My father’s youngest sister

Married Kyrilo Skorvorodko [sp???]—who died after Steve visited them.

They had 5 sons + 2 daughters.

One of the sons is Nicholas who has been trying to come to Canada but because of his “record” can’t.

Other of Aunt Natasha’s children [sic] are Lucy, Fred, Alexander, Anatolia, Walia. Aunt Natasha is still living + was 84 in 1992.

I have more detailed info which was given to me by Fred’s sister Katia when she was still able to write to me. She is not well now—she is my age + we both attended school when I was still in Russia 1921-23. So remember her more than the others.

My aunt Elizabeth + Tatiana [sic] were married. Their husbands emigrated to the U.S. + never heard from. Aunt Elizabeth re-married and had the one son—Fedos. But Aunt Tatiana never married agains. She had the one daughter Elena who is now in Siberia. I haven’t heard anything new about her. Yes, she is married.

[Page 5]

My Mother’s side—

Natalia Borschowa Kross

My mother’s mother was Irene Borshowa. She was married twice. Her first husband was Serge (Serhey) Michailovitch Sorokovoy [sp?]. He died and Irena remarried. From this first marriage was a son Semen Sorokovoy. He was the father of Fred whom we know as he visited us. The family also included

1. Olia (born 1901). She had children 1, Anastasia (dead) 2, Irenko—1903—died young

2. Lena (Elena) 1912

3. Katia (1914) still living 1993

4. Fred, 1916—Attended Moscow Inst. of Physics + Math + later Arom... [illegible]

5. Wasil—1918—died 1982

6. Ivan 1992—finished Tech—but war started + he had to go—he died at the front in Stalingrad (was pilot)

Two other children died young.

So this was Fred’s brothers + sisters [sic]

The father Semen Sorokovoy was in USA in Pittsburg [sic] 1905-1911. Came home + built the brick home in the village—one of its kind there.

Grandmother Irena remarried and had children—1, Harpina Wasky, 2, Natalia Kross, 3, Fred Borschow. There were other children but died young.

[Page 6]

They were both called “Bill” (Wasil). One was fair the other dark so they called them White Bill + Black Bill.

The Wasky’s [sic] had a large garden. Also they had a cow + pig; and chickens, geese + ducks. They had a lot of their own food this way. Westfort wasn’t then what it is to-day. There were few houses—lots of open space. Father was a “builder” so was able to get an odd job now + then.

During this time Mr. Tarnowski and a Russian pastor, Rev. Klochkoff, visited the Wasky residence. They witnessed to all who were there and read the Bible. My father was the first to accept the Lord Jesus Christ. Mr. Lopa (Mary Walker’s father) was next. Soon the 2 Bills accepted Christ + also Alex Wasky + John + later Auntie Wasky. At first our Aunt was very much against what was going on but finally “saw the light.”

Before all this father used to play the accordion. They would have a big party just about every Saturday. Some of the neighbors would join in + it was a “great time” for all. When father became a Christian all this stopped. He would not play. The neighbors said “The young Russian went crazy.” Instead of these parties there were prayer meetings in that house.

These new Christians were baptized in the First Baptist Church which at that time was on Donald Str—downtown. There’s a vacant lot there now—across the road from St. Patricks [sic] Cathedral.But then they also had an all Ukrainian—Russian—Slavic [?] meeting [illegible]. They had communion in the

[Page 7]

English meetings. I am not sure of the date when father was converted but 1917 comes to mind.

In 1921 father decided to go back to Russia. Mother + I lived with mother’s mother Irena Borschowa. She was a widow and also there was a son, Fyodor (Fred) Borschow who later came to Canada and lived in Vancouver—died in 1977.[1] You have no doubt heard us speak of “our Uncle Fred.” Annie Wasky always said “My Uncle.” He lived with them when first he came to Fort Wm—worked for Dominion Motors + then moved to B.C.

Alex Wasky + the 2 Bills also came back to Russia with father. There was another young man but he was not a Christian.

When father came back to the village we went to live with grandfather Kross (Krossoloboff [sp?]). There were 4 Christians—father, Alex Wasky + the 2 Bills. They had a prayer meeting + decided to start preaching as there was no Evangelical work there. Now “who is going to do the preaching?” All fingers pointed to father. So they began meetings—in homes—father’s sister, Tatiana, had a slightly larger room so that’s where the meetings were held. The house was filled + people stood outside + listened through windows. In 2 years there were over 65 believers. Father’s sisters + brothers + parents believed. Mother’s mother held out until after 1923 when we came here to Canada—Father received the good news. “Irena Borschowa accepted Christ.” The priest (Russian Orthodox) didn’t like what was going on + told the people in his church to take sticks + drive “these so-+-so’s [sic]” out [illegible] had the authority for

[Page 8]

Questioning. This was done in the City about 7 miles from the village. The city is Novozebkov [sic; the correct spelling is “Novozybkov”]. This was at night that he was picked up. They questioned him all night + then let him go. On his way out he asked one of the officers, “Who told you I speak against the Government.” The officer replied “the Priest.” So father came home + one day with a Bible under his arm he went to the priest’s home. I think Alex Wasky was with him too. But the priest saw them coming and quickly disappeared. By the way Alex Wasky was still single. But soon he decided to marry. Our grandmother Irena, said [sic] to him “why don’t you go see Alexan[illegible]. She is a lovely girl.” Lived only 2 or 3 doors from grandma. So Alex wouldn’t go to the Orthodox Church to marry—so father performed the ceremony—It was held in the yard where the bride lived. Shortly after the wedding she walked through to the snow to the river [underlining Auntie Annie’s] to be baptized. Of course her family didn’t approve but it wasn’t long before her sister came to the meetings + then this sisters [sic] husband, Matthew, who was next to the priest in that Orthodox Church also was converted. When we left for Canada Matthew was left in charge of the meeting. He was so on fire for the Lord. Later a church building was put up with some of the money father had coming from Canada. But I was told by Fred Sorokovoy [sp?] (the one who is now dead + visited us here] that during the second world war many buildings were destroyed + that one was one of them.

*All baptisms took place on the river—right in the village

[Page 9]

During the 2 yrs. father was in Russia—1921-23—my brother Bill was born. He was about a year old when we came here in 1923.

Once again we came to our Aunt Wasky’s and lived there for 2 yrs. with them. Alex Wasky + wife + their baby came with us so there were 3 families living in that house. During that time father remodelled the middle of that big old 2 story [sic] house—made more bedrooms etc. But Alex couldn’t get work so he decided to go to Windsor. He got a job with Ford + later moved to the States. His baby died here in Ft. Wm. Shortly after + Alex’s wife Alex[illegible] went to join her husband in Windsor.

In 1925 father built our house on Francis St. ((1001) its [sic] still there.) my sister, Nina, your Mom was born soon in that old house of Wasky’s [sic]. She has a picture of it. I was married in 1940 + we lived in Port Arthur but in 1942 father built the house on Amelia St. For the first time they had in-door plumbing etc.

The Ukrainian’s [sic] had their meetings in homes for many years—gonig downtown to the First Baptist on Communion Sunday. I remember going with father.

There in Westfort we had Sunday School in the afternoons. My cousins attended so of course I went along + am still there since 1923. It was 1929 that I joined the church. But that is another story.

PS. Mr. Lupa married Mr. Tarnowski’s sister Catherine.

[1] Fred Borschow died on November 22, 1977 in Vancouver, British Columbia, aged 77. http://search.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/sn-2CB7B78/query/Deaths/find-adv%2B%20surname%3D%28borschow%29%20%2B%2B%2B%2B

***

If you've made it this far, congratulations! The key to unlocking this mystery is learning more about the Borschow family, which is where the investigation is headed next. Stay tuned! This is gonna be fun.

This is Happening!

2012-01-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

Stephen Johns is now Registered
for Scotiabank Calgary Marathon Race Weekend in the Half-Marathon.

Great! Now what??

Back in the Saddle

2012-01-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Calgary, where it remains unusually warm (10°C at four o'clock this afternoon) and where I arrived yesterday following three wonderful weeks in Toronto. I had just enough time to watch Tim Tebow's latest miracle, play a soccer game, and buy groceries before passing out from exhaustion; I spent today getting my feet back underneath me at work, all the while laying some very basic groundwork for my next trip (I'll be in South and Central America for the better part of March) and delving into the Achtung Baby re-release (I've learned, for instance, that the version of "Even Better Than The Real Thing" that opened U2's later 360° Tour dates was the "Fish Out Of Water Remix"...which is obviously indispensible information). Let's do this, 2012. You're officially underway.

American Idiot

2012-01-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

I love American Idiot, Green Day's 2004 rock opera that became a soundtrack for post-9/11 America. I love musical theatre, too, so it stands to reason I'd be a good candidate to love the stage version of American Idiot as well. I missed its Broadway run--I haven't been to New York since 2007, believe it or not--but was in the audience for the final preview of the brand-new North American touring production which launched last week at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. In the name of full disclosure, I was one of the people singing along with the cast.

I don't feel aggrieved that Green Day decided to make American Idiot into a musical; I decided beforehand I'd be satisfied as long as the resulting adaptation was intelligent, heartfelt, and faithful to the spirit of the original album. The musical's creators have succeeded on all three fronts. Of course, unavoidable issues arose from shoehorning existing songs into a brand new narrative ("Extraordinary Girl," for instance, seemed far-fetched), but for the most part the adaptation's so slick it's now impossible to imagine Billie Joe Armstrong writing American Idiot without this exact plot in mind. (He didn't, of course: the musical incorporates songs from 21st Century Breakdown, Green Day's follow-up to American Idiot, as well as "When It's Time," an outtake from the American Idiot sessions that Armstrong wrote for his wife when they were still dating.) There's an awful lot to like here, enough that I'd recommend American Idiot in spite of its flaws. In particular, the touring production's blessed with a young, energetic cast in which Van Hughes, Scott J. Campbell, and (especially) Jake Epstein excel as the three slackers yearning to cast aside their suburban chains. Michael Mayer (whose previous credits include another teenangstical, Spring Awakening) deftly pulls it all together, while Christine Jones' impressive design traps the characters within a suburban hell in which television rules over everyone's lives.

I liked American Idiot a lot. But I didn't quite love it, because all the push-button angst got to be a bit much. The show's creators needed to do a better job of trusting their audience and letting the piece speak for itself, instead of spending ninety minutes trying desperately to convince us that Important Emotions are being conveyed. I understand that Green Day deals in an aesthetic where attitude and volume trump all--but a Broadway stage isn't a punk rock club, and sometimes in the theatre small gestures speak loudest of all. Given that, it's not surprising that American Idiot's best moments are its quieter ones. "Last Night on Earth" is stunning, the tourniquet dance between Johnny and Whatsername by turns beautiful and unsettling, while "When It's Time" is a rare moment of tenderness amidst the sturm und drang. The harder everyone tried, the less I felt; as the music got louder and vocal chords became strained the cast jerked around the stage like marionettes I became numb to it all. Give me novocaine, indeed. I bought American Idiot the week it came out in September 2004, back when grad school was still a novelty and John Kerry seemed poised to become the next President of the United States. (On November 2, Bri Monster and I saw the American Idiot Tour in Toronto the same night George W. Bush was re-elected.) Against this backdrop American Idiot became as important to my life as virtually any other album, which largely explains my excitement for the stage version. In the end, it was more-or-less worth the wait--but I left the theatre wanting more. Last March I wrote of walking out of another musical, Billy Elliot, and "feeling as though I'd just seen a great near-miss." That's how I felt after American Idiot: I wanted to love it, and I did, kind of, but also like it wasn't quite as good as it should've been.

More Favourites of 2011: Theatre and Sports

2012-01-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

The current temperature in Toronto? -26°C with windchill. The high this afternoon in Calgary? +8°C with no wind. There's a certain irony in that. Back to my year in review! 2011 was a bit of an off-year for theatre and a big off-year for sports, so I've just compiled top three lists for each. 2012 is at least getting off to a quicker start: I've got the Leafs/Lightning and Leafs/Jets games this week, and tomorrow I'm seeing 2 Pianos 4 Hands for the first time since the late 90s.With that...

Theatre

Billy Bishop Goes to War (Soulpepper Theatre Company; presented by High Performance Rodeo and Theatre Calgary) was one of those special nights in the theatre; I later described it as the kind of production "that reminds you why you started going in the first place." Ranks alongside 700 Sundays as one of the very best plays I've ever seen. (January 20 at the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts in Calgary)
Jesus Christ Superstar (Stratford Shakespeare Festival). I had to wedge Des McAnuff's production of Jesus Christ Superstar between PJ20 and Pearl Jam's two-night stand in Toronto. That might've been recipe for a letdown, but between McAnuff's lean, muscular staging and sensational performances from Josh Young, Chilina Kennedy, Brent Carver, and (especially) Paul Nolan this was a highlight of my seventeen years going to Stratford. (September 10 at the Avon Theatre in Stratford)
Barrymore. Christopher Plummer was nothing short of titanic in William Luce's one-man play. Also, before the show I ran into JWoww at the Eaton Centre--which was weird. (February 28 at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto)

Sports

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Buffalo Sabres (December 22 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto). The game itself was notable for being the first time I've ever seen the Leafs beat the Sabres. Of course, I'll remember it for an entirely different reason.
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Philadelphia Phillies (July 2 at Rogers Centre in Toronto). Last year's G20 summit bumped Roy Halladay's return to Toronto back by a year. But the highlight wasn't provided by Halladay, who pitched a complete game shutout against his former club, but rather by Jose Bautista, whose long, loud home run off his former ace was a symbolic passing of the torch from one Toronto superstar to another.
Pumas UNAM vs. Club America (October 1 at Olímpico Universitario Stadium in Mexico City) is included almost by default. The game itself (a scrappy 1-0 win for Pumas) was unremarkable, but the experience of attending El Clásico Capitalino was utterly unique.

Let's see what 2012 has in store!

Looking Back at 2011

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's the start of another new year--better call the newspaper up. And while you're at it, why not read my look back at 2011?

Where did you begin 2011? In my parents' basement, watching Inception with My Fetching Blonde and our friends Jon and Lindsay
What was your status by Valentine's Day? In a relationship
Were you in school (anytime this year)? Sort of: I took a Spanish class through Continuing Education at U of C, which means this was the first time I'd been "in school" since dropping out of teacher's college.
How did you earn your money? As an admissions officer
Did you have to go to the hospital? No
Did you have any encounters with the police? Yup--in Mexico City actually, where my taxi was pulled over and my driver ticketed for not carrying a fire extinguisher (this really happened).
Where did you go on holidays? Argentina, the Maritimes, rural Wisconsin, Detroit, and (on numerous occasions) Toronto
What did you purchase that was over $1,000? Nothing
Have you kissed anyone this year? Sure
Did you know anybody who passed away? Unfortunately yes
Did you move anywhere? Nope
What concerts/shows/sporting events did you go to? Concerts: Pearl Jam seven times (including twice at PJ20, which also featured, among others, Mudhoney, Queens of the Stone Age, and the Strokes), U2 three times, Chris Cornell, the Black Keys, Soundgarden, Big Sugar/Wide Mouth Mason, Arcade Fire, and the Headstones; shows, The Producers, Billy Bishop Goes to War, The Drowsy Chaperone, Barrymore, Billy Elliot, Rent, Mom's the Word: For Crying Out Loud! (I hated this; in fact, I left at intermission), Wicked, The Grapes of Wrath, Jesus Christ Superstar, To Kill a Mockingbird, Memphis, Hair (twice), American Idiot; sporting events, hockey games in Toronto (3) and Calgary (only one!), baseball games in Toronto (7), a Mexican league soccer game in Mexico City, a CIS football game in Calgary...and that's it.
Are you registered to vote? Yes--and I did vote in the 2011 federal election for (I think) the Green Party
What was the biggest change in your life? Becoming single again
Where do you live now? Calgary
Describe your birthday? Subdued
What has been your favorite moment? Being on the Air Canada Centre ice during a Leafs game and winning a promotion
What's something you learned about yourself? I'm putting it together, slowly but surely
Any new additions to your family? No, but there'll be at least one (official) new member in 2012
What was your best month? September
What music will you remember 2011 by? Pearl Jam and U2--I saw them a combined ten times in 2011--as well as Queens of the Stone Age, the Black Keys, Bon Iver, American Idiot, Some Girls, Time Out Of Mind, "Metamorphosis 2" by Philip Glass...and "Party Rock Anthem" (obviously "Party Rock Anthem").
Who has been your best drinking buddy? Still you, J-What
Made new friends? Yup, including a best new travel buddy
New best friend? Nope
Favorite night out? After Pearl Jam's first night in Toronto, when I was accused of stealing tip money from Real Sports and threatened with arrest. This really happened, by the way. (I was drinking Maudite and laughing.)
What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before? Run competitively
Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't make New Year's Resolutions, but 30-for-30 was pretty successful.
Did anyone close to you give birth? Some of my closest friends gave birth this year. Whether they should've been allowed to reproduce is another matter entirely.
What countries did you visit? The United States (numerous times), Costa Rica (twice), Panama, Colombia (twice), Ecuador (twice), Peru (twice), Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Trinidad, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman. So thirteen different countries...not to mention eight Canadian provinces (sorry, Manitoba and Newfoundland!).
What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? I'd like to get published
What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? July 30: the U2 360° Tour finale in Moncton with Kevin, Laura, and My Fetching Blonde
What was your biggest achievement of the year? Becoming a runner
What was your biggest failure? Failing to shit (and not in the Kim Jong-Il sense of the word)
Did you suffer illness or injury? A pulled groin (which technically happened last Christmas but didn't fully manifest itself till January) and an injured back/hand post-Ride to Conquer Cancer
What was the best thing you bought? Flights out east
Whose behavior merited celebration? People who embrace their individuality
Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Rob Ford's, obviously
Where did most of your money go? Rent
What did you get really, really, really excited about? Lots of things, in particular a, the U2 and Pearl Jam concerts; b, the Ride to Conquer Cancer; and c, learning to run. What a great year.
Compared to this time last year, are you: a, more happy or more sad? b, thinner or fatter? c, richer or poorer? a, happier; b, a bit fatter; c, about the same
What do you wish you'd done more of? Golfing and skiing
What do you wish you'd done less of? Eaten pizza
How will you be spending Christmas? In Toronto with my parents and my dog--and I wouldn't have it any other way.
What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in 2011? This might've been the most embarassing thing that's happened to me, ever.
Did you fall in love in 2011? Nope
How many one-night stands? None
What was your favorite TV program? I didn't watch TV this year. Well, except for sports.
Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? This is still a stupid question.
What was the best book you read? Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, which is one of the best books I've read period
What was your greatest musical discovery? Queens of the Stone Age
What did you want and get? The deluxe edition of Quadrophenia
What did you want and not get? A Manchester United Champions League Final victory
What was your favorite film of this year? I saw precious few films this year--so I'll cop out and say PJ20 and promise to see more movies in 2012.
On your birthday, how old were you? 31
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A better sense of where I'm headed in life
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011? Holding steady
What kept you sane? Reading, running, and friendship
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Naheed Nenshi
What political issue stirred you the most? The growing madness of Rob Ford's mayoral administration
Who do you miss? Friends who are drifting ever further
Who was the best new person you met? Names withheld to protect the innocent
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011. There's little a good run can't fix.

Bring it, 2012. It's gonna be a great year!

Hair

2011-12-29T17:11:00.001-07:00

I'd seen Diane Paulus' revival of Hair before, which is how I inadvertently wound up on a West End stage last May. Yet despite that once-in-a-lifetime experience I was nonplussed by the musical itself. As I wrote afterward, "It was well-executed and energetic and enjoyable...and empty." I stand by my initial reaction, but I'm also revising my position on Paulus' production and on Hair in general: after seeing it twice in quick succession at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre (once last Thursday, then again yesterday night) I've realized its flaws have less to do with the material than with the staging itself. I also realized I've grown to love the show.

First, the flaws. This version of Hair won the 2009 Best Musical Revival Tony, but ultimately it's simply Hair-by-numbers, neither awful nor remarkable. In other words, it's pretty much exactly how you'd imagine Hair would be done, and that's okay...I guess. The actors cavort about the stage and extend their arms towards the audience and flash peace signs and mime all sorts of sexual activities...but the eventual result is that few of the scenes actually stick out. One of the exceptions--and it's a stunning one--is the finale, in which the cast performs "Let the Sun Shine In" while fake snow gently falls around them. But I wanted more; I wanted a staging that does better justice to Hair, which is one of musical theatre's ultimate flawed masterpieces. Paulus' isn't it. Hers is good. But Hair deserves more than just "good."

And having said that: I still loved the show. Why? Firstly, because the material (by Galt MacDermot, James Rado, and the late Gerome Ragni) is timeless despite being firmly rooted in the Summer of Love. Secondly, the cast is nothing short of sensational. Credit where it's due: that's because Diane Paulus. This touring tribe, which ends its Toronto run on Saturday, is impressively committed to the show's material; that's absolutely vital for Hair, because as soon as it's done with even a shred of self-consciousness it falls flat on its face. But there isn't a trace of it amongst this ensemble, least of all from Steel Burkhardt who, as Berger, goes through his paces with an endearing lack of restraint. This cast isn't quite as strong as the original, but I was especially impressed by Sara King (Sheila) and Mike Evariste (Hud), while William Joseph Lewis filled in ably for Paris Remillard as Claude yesterday night. At the risk of invoking too many cliches all at once, the cast's collective energy is often astonishing; I defy you not to feel it, I mean actually feel it, during "Ain't Got No (Grass)" or "I Got Life" or even the beautiful "Good Morning Starshine." That's three reasons. The fourth is the aforementioned ending: despite having heard the song hundreds of times, the first chord of "Let the Sun Shine In"'s chorus never fails to cover me in goosebumps. It's one-and-a-half seconds of pure musical bliss.

In the end, there was never a doubt of me seeing Hair while I was in Toronto; the only question was, "How many times?" And both times, despite seats in the Royal Alex's cramped balcony that precluded participating in the curtain call dance party again, I realized just how much I like this show in spite of its shortcomings--and how Hair remains a vital piece of theatre over forty years after its debut.

Catching Up

2011-12-29T15:54:00.001-07:00

Our internet's working! It wasn't always thus; in fact, it's been down for thirty-six hours, which has made blogging difficult. And there's lots to write about, including...

Hair, which I've seen twice in the past week (yesterday as well as last Thursday)
American Idiot, which I saw...well, just now, actually. I'd been looking forward to this show for a while, partly because the album American Idiot remains one of my-all time favourites (in fact, one of my very first blog entries way back in September 2004 was a review of American Idiot). Mine and Bri Monster's first quasi-date was seeing Green Day on the American Idiot Tour the night George W. Bush was reelected. Ah, memories.
The Nonsense Years in Review in Sports and Theatre and Books (there's no point in a year in review for movies: I might've seen five in 2011)

To be continued post-haste!

My Favourite Concerts of 2011

2011-12-26T20:25:00.001-07:00

It's time for the Nonsense Year in Review, starting with my favourite concerts from 2011. I've learned to spend my money more discriminatingly (largely because ticket prices are spiralling uncontrollably), and 2011 proved to be a banner year. It was dominated by U2 and Pearl Jam and Chris Cornell; it featured one of the best concerts I've ever seen, the fulfillment of a dream, two famous cameos, and lots of Mother Love Bone covers. I think you'll agree I did quite well.

U2 w/Arcade Fire and Carney ("Magnetic Hill Music Festival"), 7/30 at Magnetic Hill in Moncton, NB. The final night of U2's record-breaking 360° Tour brought "the Claw" to the bottom of a giant hill in Atlantic Canada, thousands of miles both literally and figuratively from where I'd first seen the tour back in April. La Plata and, later, Edmonton were both memorable--but Moncton, which also featured an hour-long opening set by Arcade Fire, is one of my all-time pantheon concerts. A truly special night.

Video: "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" (from JiffySpook). Also worth watching: this proshot video of "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" which ends with Bono improvising a moving verse about the tour's end.

Soundgarden w/Coheed and Cambria, 7/2 at Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto, ON. Seeing Soundgarden was, in many respects, the realization of my ultimate rock n' roll fantasy. I barely allowed myself to dream it might one day happen--but when it actually did, and when the second song was "Searching With My Good Eye Closed," my response was predictably ecstatic. And that's before I saw Matt Cameron play "Jesus Christ Pose" live.

Video: "Searching With My Good Eye Closed" (from leblancdaniel469)

PJ20, 9/3-4 at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, WI. Pearl Jam threw itself a weekend-long birthday bash in rural Wisconsin--and remarkably, I didn't even decide to go till earlier that same week. I'm glad I did: the entire weekend was memorable, and apart from Pearl Jam (more on them in a second) we got two impressive nights from Queens of the Stone Age. As for the headliners, the six hours of Pearl Jam were obviously great--but what pushed the performances over the top were two guest appearances from Chris Cornell, two resurrections of Temple of the Dog...and on night one, with Sherkin and I looking on in astonishment, a cover of "Stardog Champion" by Mother Love Bone. The other highlight? "Release," Pearl Jam's first song of the weekend, against which all future versions of "Release" will be measured and found wanting.

Video: "Stardog Champion" with Chris Cornell (from JeffgardenConcerts). A quick note on "Stardog Champion": if, before the weekend, you'd have let me draw up a dream scenario for the festival it'd have been this. Seriously.

Chris Cornell, 4/27 at Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre in Medicine Hat, AB. Chris Cornell skipped Calgary on his recent Songbook tour, opting instead to play three hours away at the gorgeous 700-seat Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre in Medicine Hat. No matter: I'd have driven twice as far to see my favourite singer, especially with the promise of him without any accompaniment. Two songs in particular--an electric guitar version of the Badmotorfinger song "Mind Riot" and an acoustic take of Mother Love Bone's "Man of Golden Words"--left my mouth, quite literally, agape.

Video: "Mind Riot" (from KeithVids1)

Pearl Jam w/Mudhoney, 9/11 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, ON. Night one of Pearl Jam's two-night Toronto stand would've qualified as a nice, solid Pearl Jam concert had it not been for the second encore--but the debut of "Chloe Dancer" (which led seamlessly into the band's cover of the Mother Love Bone song "Crown of Thorns") and, two songs later, a twelve-minute "Rockin' in the Free World" in which Neil Young himself ambled onto the stage with Mike McCready's guitar strapped around his shoulder turned it into something much more memorable.

Video: "Rockin' in the Free World" with Neil Young (from cls1974). Fast-forward to the 3:19 mark, when Eddie Vedder becomes aware of what's happening. Watch his reaction. Priceless.

Honourable mention: U2 w/Muse in La Plata, the Black Keys w/Cage the Elephant in Calgary, Pearl Jam w/Mudhoney in Calgary

Favourite songs? Got those too, in rough chronological order:

U2, "Return of the Stingray Guitar" into "Beautiful Day" and "Bad" (La Plata); "Even Better Than The Real Thing" (Edmonton); "Even Better Than The Real Thing" and "The Fly" (Moncton); "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" at all three 360° Tour shows I saw in 2011. Also, while it wasn't part of the set per se, the nightly "Space Oddity" introduction was brilliantly executed.
Chris Cornell, "Mind Riot" and "Man of Golden Words"
Soundgarden, "Searching With My Good Eye Closed" and "Beyond the Wheel"
Arcade Fire, "Month of May" (Dartmouth)
Queens of the Stone Age, "Song for the Dead"
The Strokes, "Juicebox" with Eddie Vedder
Pearl Jam, "Release," "Better Man," and "Stardog Champion" (PJ20 Night 1); "Long Road," "Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns," and "Rockin' in the Free World" with Neil Young (Toronto Night 1); "Rearviewmirror" (Ottawa); "Search and Destroy" and "Fuckin' Up" (Calgary); the end of the first encore and the entire second encore in Edmonton
Temple of the Dog. I'm not picking favourites.
The Headstones, "Tweeter and the Monkey Man"

Theatre and sports to follow!

An Updated 31-for-31

2011-12-26T16:12:00.001-07:00

Happy Boxing Day! Mine was spent with six hours of soccer (in order: Chelsea/Fulham, Manchester United/Wigan Athletic, Birmingham City/West Ham United, Stoke City/Aston Villa), which seemed a better alternative than, say, shopping (or watching the World Juniors, which is a subject for a later day). I also tweaked 31-for-31, which is progressing nicely and now features five new items. Check it out! (The new items are in green.) I just tweeted about having to resume half marathon training but how the copious amounts of food I've ingested lately should complicate matters tremendously. And they will, just like beer and nachos and cheesecake made a 4km run last week feel like an ultramarathon...but why bother having a Christmas season if you can't eat enough to sink a small boat?

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas, everyone. Here's a Pearl Jam season's greeting:

The Headstones: Rock n' Roll and Comic Books and Bubble Gum

2011-12-24T20:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Christmas Eve! Pearl Jam Heather's been bugging me to see a Headstones concert for years--so yesterday she took me to see me them at Sound Academy, which is easily my least favourite live music venue in Toronto. It was a good show; I don't think the Headstones are about to become a favourite band of mine, but it was worth going just to see Hugh Dillon in all his terrifying glory (I hadn't seen him on stage since the short-lived Hugh Dillon Redemption Choir played Across the Causeway in Kingston seven years ago). The setlist, courtesy setlist.fm:

Tweeter and the Monkey Man (now that's how you open a show!)
Pinned You Down
Binthiswayforyears
Settle (I hate this song)
Where Does It Go?
When Something Stands for Nothing
Cut Me Up
Cut
Mystery to Me
Losing Control
Cubically Contained
Blonde and Blue
Fuck You (I have never--never--seen a singer who fetishizes the "f" word quite like Hugh Dillon. Wow.)
Smile and Wave (I hate this song, too, and therein lies the explanation as to why I didn't like the Headstones' music till fairly recently: all I knew were their singles, most of which I disliked. Their other stuff's way better.)
Unsound
Oh My God

Sympathy for the Devil [The Rolling Stones...but you knew that, right?]

Heart of Darkness (encore)
Take It (encore)
Three Angels (encore)
S.O.S. [ABBA] (encore)
Cemetery (encore)

Again: it was a good show. It wasn't transcendent; it won't make my list of top five favourite concerts from 2011. But I'm glad I went--and sometimes, that's all that really matters.

How I Ended Up On The Air Canada Centre Ice (also: Toronto Maple Leafs 3, Buffalo Sabres 2)

2011-12-22T23:03:00.003-07:00

That's me in the spotlight, losing my re...wait, wrong reference. But that really is me in the spotlight!

This is a story all about how my night got flip-turned upside down. I went to tonight's Leaf game with a motley crew whose number included one Robert the Bruce, erstwhile housemate at 396 Johnson. He and I were walking into the Air Canada Centre when a girl named Patrice approached us.

Her, to me: "Are you a hockey player?"

Me, slightly confused: "I've never played a game in my life."

Her: "Oh, that's too bad. Because I was gonna ask if you wanted to do a promotion..."

...which is how it began, and which is how, at the ten-minute mark of the second period, Robert the Bruce and I left our perch high above the ACC and made our way back to the main entrance. I'd explained to Patrice that of course I'd played hockey--I'd just never played on an actual team. She, in turn, had me fill out a waiver, the upshot of which was I'd be participating in a promotion during the second intermission. On the Air Canada Centre ice.

The prize itself is irrelevant. I was gonna be on the ice at the ACC! And after the second period, with the Leafs nursing a 2-1 lead over the visiting Buffalo Sabres, I was led along with two other contestants out onto the ice--I was introduced as "Steve from Thunder Bay," which is basically true--and down to the far end (the lonely end?) of the rink. Our task: aim five pucks at seven different targets. The middle one, which was also the furthest away, was worth ten points; the rest were worth either nothing or three. The person with the most points would be the winner. So there I was on the Air Canada Centre ice, hockey stick-with-an-illegal-curve in hand, ready to fire. How'd I do? Glad you asked!

Shot #1: BAM, right through the middle target. Ten points!

Shot #2: BAM, right through the middle target. Twenty points!

Shot #3: right through the middle target. Thirty points! Suddenly I'm 3/3 and feeling confident.

Shot #4: wide right (in honour of Buffalo Bills legend Scott Norwood!). Thirty points.

Shot #5: wide...uh, left, I think? Still, I'd wound up with thirty points...and did I mention I was on the Air Canada Centre ice during intermission of a Leaf game??? The next contestant amassed--I think--six points; the final shooter nailed one of their five shots, but the rest went wide of the mark. I'd won! And I was in a spotlight on the Air Canada Centre ice in front of 19,000 people! The three of us were then escorted to the bowels of the ACC, where I filled out a form and accepted...a spot on the Leafs' second penalty killing unit. Just kidding! I'd actually won a thousand free ETR kilometers, which I'll donate to someone else. Like I said, the prize itself is irrelevant. I can promise you I'll never have a better second intermission than tonight's.

Oh: and the Leafs won, too, the first time they've beat Buffalo in all the times I've seen the two teams play.

It's an Old-Fashioned Steve Week in Toronto!

2011-12-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

I'm having an old-fashioned Steve Week in Toronto, partly to prove I've still got it, partly because...well, LOOK AT WHAT'S GOING ON!

Tuesday (yesterday): Toronto Symphony Orchestra Christmas with the Canadian Brass. This, incredibly, was my first time ever at Roy Thompson Hall.
Wednesday (today...obviously): Memphis, whose plot was paint-by-numbers but whose musical pastiche score and energetic cast made for an enjoyable (if not particularly memorable) evening.
Thursday: Leafs vs. Sabres; I'm also toying with the idea of seeing Hair in the afternoon, although I've already got tickets for a performance next week
Friday: the Headstones (who I've somehow never seen)

It'll take some doing to top the stretch in July 1998 when I saw nine plays (four in Toronto plus five in Stratford) in eight days, but I've got to start somewhere. And I'm not slowing down: still on the agenda is Hair, 2 Pianos 4 Hands, American Idiot, and at least one more Leaf game. It's great to be back in the groove!

A Human Being That Was Given to Fly

2011-12-19T20:36:00.002-07:00

Greetings from Toronto, where I arrived via Regina (of all places) at 7:30 this evening. En route I did some number-crunching and discovered that today's flights were #53 and #54 of 2011. Don't believe me? Check it out:
Toronto->Calgary->Grande Prairie->Calgary->Toronto->Calgary->Houston->San Jose, CR->Panama City->Bogota->Quito->Lima->Sao Paulo->Buenos Aires->Houston->Calgary->Toronto->Calgary->Toronto->Quebec City; Fredericton->Montreal->Calgary->Toronto->Calgary->Toronto->Milwaukee->Toronto->Calgary->Toronto->Calgary->Houston->Mexico City->San Jose, CR->Managua->Guatemala City->Houston->Calgary->Houston->Port-of-Spain->Miami->Barranquilla, CO->Medellin, CO->Bogota->Lima->Bogota->Quito->Miami->Kingston, JA; Montego Bay->Miami->Grand Cayman->Miami->Houston->Calgary->Regina->Toronto
In other words, I averaged more than a flight a week in 2011. A flight a week! Earlier today Small n' Bald praised--I think it was praise, anyway--my ability to relax. But with a schedule like that, can you blame me for kicking back when I'm not in some faraway airport? I'm glad I don't have to visit one for the next three weeks.

Travelling Songs Vol. 2: Christmas 2011 (Addendum)

2011-12-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

Three late additions to the iPod playlist that could kill a man at a dozen paces:

Chicago, 1996 Broadway Revival Cast Recording
Pearl Jam Twenty soundtrack
Queens of the Stone Age, Era Vulgaris

That should do. I'll be home this time tomorrow!

Travelling Songs Vol. 2: Christmas 2011

2011-12-17T12:13:00.005-07:00

(Apparently this entry was originally titled "Travelling Stones Vol. 2: Christmas 2011." I have no idea what this means, either.)

I leave for Toronto on Monday--and this week, in anticipation of three weeks riding the subway, I loaded my iPod with a collection of music that would kill a lesser man. Here are the albums that'll be keeping me company between now and January 8:

American Idiot, Original Broadway Cast Recording
Arcade Fire, Neon Bible
Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
The Beatles, Abbey Road
The Black Keys, Brothers
The Black Keys, El Camino
Bloc Party, Silent Alarm
Bloc Party, A Weekend in the City
Bob Dylan, Blonde on Blonde
Bob Dylan, Blood On The Tracks
Bob Dylan, The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs
Bob Dylan, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan, Modern Times
Bob Dylan, Time Out Of Mind
Bon Iver, s/t
Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
Bruce Springsteen, Magic
The Decemberists, The Crane Wife
The Decemberists, The Hazards of Love
The Decemberists, The King is Dead
The Gaslight Anthem, The '59 Sound
Green Day, American Idiot
Guns N' Roses, Appetite for Destruction
Hair, New Broadway Cast Recording
Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros, Streetcore
Massive Attack, Mezzanine
Mother Love Bone, s/t
My Morning Jacket, Circuital
Neil Young, Le Noise
Neil Young, Live at Massey Hall 1971
The Nightwatchman, The Fabled City
The Nightwatchman, World Wide Rebel Songs
Our Lady Peace, Clumsy
Pearl Jam, live June 14, 2008 at Bonnaroo
Pearl Jam, live September 12, 2012 in Toronto (hey, I was there!)
Queen, A Night at the Opera
Queens of the Stone Age, Songs for the Deaf
R.E.M., Collapse Into Now
R.E.M., Murmur
The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main St.
The Rolling Stones, Some Girls
Sleater-Kinney, The Woods
The Smashing Pumpkins, American Gothic EP
The Smashing Pumpkins, Gish
The Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins, live August 9, 2000 in Winnipeg (hey, I was there!)
Sonic Youth, Goo
Tom Waits, Bad As Me
Tom Waits, Mule Variations
The Tragically Hip, Day for Night
The Tragically Hip, Phantom Power
U2, Achtung Baby
U2, live April 3, 2011 in La Plata, Argentina (hey, I was there!)
U2, No Line on the Horizon
Various, AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered
The White Stripes, Elephant
The White Stripes, White Blood Cells
The Who, Quadrophenia

Hey, speaking of American Idiot: the song "Holiday"? "This is our lives on holiday"? That's me as of yesterday afternoon! I'm currently drinking Ethiopian coffee and watching Chelsea drop points against Wigan Athletic. It's already a good day.

Sheila to His Bruce

2011-12-16T10:32:00.003-07:00

This time on Monday I'll be on my way home. Today, Friday, I'm literally counting down the minutes till 4:30; the clock's moving slowly, so slowly it feels as though it's moving backwards, and I'm trying to fill the time. It's been like this all week. In fact, on Wednesday I took a personal day, which is union-speak for "I needed to make a couple appointments, including a tire change, so I lumped them together in the afternoon and spent the morning drinking Ethiopian coffee in front of a fire while watching U2 Zoo TV Live from Sydney." In many ways that was the most productive I've been all week. I sincerely hope any employers present or future aren't reading this.

Speaking of Sydney, I wish I was there right now: tomorrow La Gusenza's getting married, and it's killing me that I couldn't go. The editorial staff of Stuff and Nonsense would like to wish Hamish and La Gusenza all the best tomorrow, the next day, and for the rest of their lives together! Here's a picture of the former 237 crew clad in our finest livery!

In the immortal words of...well, no one, really: "Five down, one to go."

QUICK UPDATE! Last night I convinced a table of nine to toast La Gusenza and Hamish. Exactly one of them--me--knew the happy couple. My friends basically rule.

Detroit Lions 34, Minnesota Vikings 28

2011-12-11T16:35:00.005-07:00

If I told you a football team lost a game today after...

Trailing 21-0 after nine minutes;
Turning the ball over four times, including an endzone fumble that resulted in a touchdown for their opponents;
Benching its starting quarterback;
Having its backup quarterback (who earlier had scrambled sixty-five yards for a touchdown) fumble on 1st-and-goal from the 1 with nine seconds left on the clock; and
The officials missing a blatant facemask that would've given them a 1st-and-goal from the 1/2-yard line

...and you didn't guess it was the Minnesota Vikings...I mean, clearly you haven't been paying attention these past seven years. No one--repeat, no one--snatches defeat from the jaws of victory quite like my beloved Vikings do.

(Imagine that facemask had happened to, say, Aaron Rodgers instead of Joe Webb? They'd have hung DeAndre Levy from Ford Field's south goalpost.)

On the plus side, Minnesota's now 2-11. They're a virtual lock for a top-three draft selection!

My Ultimate Single Disc Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

2011-12-10T14:06:00.001-07:00

There was a time when I thought the Smashing Pumpkins were displacing Pearl Jam as my favourite band. This was in 2000; MACHINA/the machines of God was out, the Pumpkins were touring Canada, and I'd decided that Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was my new all-time favourite album. It didn't end up happening, and I lost interest in the Pumpkins as an ongoing concern after Jimmy Chamberlin's second departure--but that doesn't mean I don't still love their earlier music or that Mellon Collie isn't still a favourite. Because I do--and it is.

There's a lingering suspicion that Mellon Collie would've been better if it'd been pared down to a single album. I've never thought that--to me, its greatness lies partly in its ambition and its sweep--but for fun, I thought I'd try and create my own ultimate single-disc Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. I gave myself the following contraints:

The opening and closing songs, "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" (from Dawn to Dusk, a.k.a. "the red one") and "Farewell and Goodnight" (from Twilight to Starlight, a.k.a. "the blue one"), had to remain the opening and closing songs.
The five singles (in chronological order of release: "Bullet with Butterfly Wings," "1979," "Tonight, Tonight," "Zero," and "Thirty-three") had to be included (although without this totally arbitrary rule I'd have picked all five of them anyway).
I settled on eighteen songs. I toyed with eleven and fourteen (and an eleven-song Mellon Collie would kill--see songs #1-11 below), but eighteen (ten fewer than are on the full-length Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness) just felt right. I've no idea if these eighteen songs would fit onto a single disc, by the way.

Thus, the first seven songs:

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Farewell and Goodnight
Bullet with Butterfly Wings
1979
Tonight, Tonight (which remains one of the best music videos of the 90s)
Zero
Thirty-three

The next four were no-brainers. I can't imagine anyone concocting a single disc Mellon Collie that didn't include

Thru the Eyes of Ruby (maybe my all-time favourite song)
Muzzle
Porcelina of the Vast Oceans
X.Y.U.

That's eleven; like I said, that's a killer album. But I needed seven more, which first involved eliminating...

Cupid de Locke
Take Me Down
We Only Come Out at Night
Lily (My One and Only)

...on account of not liking them/questioning their merits (seriously, how badly does Twilight to Starlight limp over the finish line?). I also get rid of...

To Forgive (which I like)
Love
Bodies
Tales of a Scorched Earth (which could've been a good song--but alas, Billy Corgan, Alan Moulder, and Flood produced it to within an inch of its life)
Beautiful (which I also like)

...and, while it upsets me...

Here is No Why

That leaves the following:

Jellybelly
Fuck You (An Ode to No One) (one of only two Mellon Collie songs I heard live--the other, inevitably, was "Bullet with Butterfly Wings"--at the 2000 Summersault stop in Winnipeg, the first and last time I saw the Pumpkins)
Galapagos
Where Boys Fear to Tread
In the Arms of Sleep
Stumbeline (I can see keeping either "In the Arms of Sleep" or "Stumbeline," but I love both songs)
By Starlight (which I didn't fully appreciate till hearing the live version from Vancouver 1997 with Corgan's exhortation, "Matt [Walker, one of the Pumpkins' myriad drummers], please lead us into the heavens")

There: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness pared down from twenty-eight to eighteen. In order:

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Tonight, Tonight
Jellybelly
Zero
Bullet with Butterfly Wings
Fuck You (An Ode to No One)
Galapagos
Muzzle
Porcelina of the Vast Oceans
Where Boys Fear to Tread
Thirty-three
In the Arms of Sleep
1979
Thru the Eyes of Ruby
Stumbeline
X.Y.U.
By Starlight
Farewell and Goodnight

But that sequencing doesn't work. Here's how I'd re-jig it:

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Tonight, Tonight
Jellybelly
Bullet with Butterfly Wings
Thirty-three
In the Arms of Sleep
Fuck You (An Ode to No One)
Muzzle
Porcelina of the Vast Oceans
Galapagos
Where Boys Fear to Tread
Zero
Thru the Eyes of Ruby
Stumbeline
X.Y.U.
1979
By Starlight
Farewell and Goodnight

Well? How'd I do?

Of course, this still isn't the ultimate Mellon Collie compendium: that would require dragging the five-disc, thirty-three song Aeroplane Flies High into the mix. (If you're not familiar with it, here's a latter-day live version of "The Aeroplane Flies High (Looks Left, Turns Right)" recorded during the Pumpkins' 2007 residency at the Fillmore in San Francisco.) Again, I still don't think Mellon Collie needs to be pared down; I think it's masterful as is. But I'll still give this one-disc version a spin sometime.

Denver Broncos 35, Minnesota Vikings 32

2011-12-04T18:51:00.003-07:00

The Future?

There's something perversely enjoyable about rooting for a losing football team. It's a relaxing alternative to, say, rooting for a team whose ultimate destiny is blowing a championship game in improbable, gut-wrenching circumstances. Rooting for a loser allows you to appreciate each game as a mere three-hour diversion (nothing less, nothing more) before moving on with your life. Your week isn't consumed by playoff scenarios or injury reports, and your first order of business on Mondays isn't to read Monday Morning Quarterback (not, uh, that it's ever been mine). It's incredibly liberating, although few people would actually choose to follow a perennial loser (some Cubs fans notwithstanding).

The 2011 Minnesota Vikings are a losing football team. In fact, apart from the Indianapolis Colts and Gavin Incognito's St. Louis Rams there isn't a worse team in the NFL standings...and since both of those teams have won Super Bowls recently it's easy to make a case for the Vikings being the worst team of them all. Today, the Vikings conspired to lose a game in which their quarterback threw for 381 yards and three touchdowns (along with three turnovers--more on them in a second) and in which they led with less than two minutes left to play. Their secondary allowed the opposing quarterback (some guy named Tebow) to play pitch-and-catch the entire second half. The winning points were scored with zeroes left on the clock. That's how losing football teams roll: by blowing winnable games. Bonus points for blowing winnable home games, which the Vikings have now done three times this year.

The Vikings haven't been lucky--they're 1-7 in games decided by a touchdown or less, which is an anomaly--but they've also been architects of their own demise. Christian Ponder had a breakout game today, going 29-for-47 for three touchdowns and a franchise rookie record 381 passing yards. But--and it's a big "but"--he also threw two back-breaking interceptions--one a pick-six to Mario Haggan, the other a hideously bad throw intended for Percy Harvin that set up Denver's game-winning field goal--and fumbled in the red zone. It's like he was chanelling the good, the bad, and the grotesque of Brett Favre today. I'll chalk it down to Ponder's inexperience--remember, this is a quarterback who's had six career starts and who didn't get an off-season--but that doesn't completely exonerate him, either. Ponder wasn't looking for excuses afterwards. "It's hard to look Jared Allen in the eye and tell him I threw two picks, had a fumble, I cost you the game," he said. "It's tough." But it was also Ponder's best game as a pro, and he's beginning to develop chemistry with Harvin (who had a monster day) and Devin Aromashodu. Plus, he'll get Adrian Peterson back soon. There are lots of positives to take from today's game.

2011 wasn't meant to yield much for the Vikings, but it might end up with a top-three draft selection. If you're going to be bad, be really bad--bad enough, say, to draft Matt Kalil out of USC and solve your O-line problems for the next decade. Because that's the other good thing about rooting for a loser: when there's little to enjoy in the present, you can always keep an eye on the future.

Never Mo

2011-11-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

In honour of the end of Movember and the death of the Mike Brown Tribute Duster--now the Freddie Mercury "Get Down Make Love" Duster--here's a mini portrait gallery from Monday. T-minus seven hours!!

Dead. Sexy.

Mr. The Edge

2011-11-29T23:00:00.002-07:00

Is it me...or the Edge c. PopMart??? You decide!

In other Movember news, the Mike Brown Tribute Duster is no more. This evening I shaved off the handlebars; now I kind of look like Freddie Mercury, which is an unitended consequence of my actions. In twenty-five hours and one minute I'll be clean shaven.

Conquering Cancer, One Mustache at a Time

2011-11-27T21:30:00.001-07:00

Movember's almost over...and thank goodness for that, I hear you say. I've enjoyed growing and wearing the Mike Brown Tribute Duster, yet while it's an admittedly glorious accessory it's also beginning to itch. At midnight on Wednesday, while "Pretty Women" from Sweeney Todd plays in the background, I'll be chopping it off and reminding myself not to grow prominent facial hair again till Movember 2012. I like being clean-shaven; I don't like chin pubes (thanks, Cher from Clueless!).

But there's still time to donate to my Movember campaign! Simply click here, admire my modestly appointed Mo Space, and contribute to the fight against prostate cancer. Did you know that upwards of 25,500 Canadian men will be diagnosed with the disease this year alone? That's a staggering figure. As much fun as it is to grow mustaches and disgust our womenfolk, there's a more important reason for doing Movember: prostate cancer is a disease whose impact is very real and very scary. It's preventable with testing, but the actual test is something a lot of men would rather not contemplate. If Movember helps normalize the screening process then it's vital we wear our mustaches loudly and proudly.

That's one reason I've unleashed the Mike Brown Tribute Duster. The other is that I'm a cancer survivor myself, and...well, fuck cancer. (Sorry for swearing, mom, but there's really no eloquent or, indeed, PG way of conveying that particular sentiment.) It's not something I'm reluctant to reveal; however, I want to emphasize that I'm in no way, shape, or form trying to guilt you into donating to me (I know how lucky I am...believe me). When I was three I was diagnosed with, and subsequently treated for, a Wilm's Tumour, which is a fancy way of saying "cancer of the kidney." If you've ever seen me shirtless (and if you haven't then you've likely fantasized about it, so either way) you'll have noticed a scar bisecting my body. That's the physical manifestation of what happened to me almost twenty-eight years ago. Yet while the disease has gone I'll be living with its aftereffects for the rest of my life. That statement certainly isn't intended to garner any sympathy--again, I know how lucky I am--but it goes a long way towards explaining why I've spent the past four weeks trying to turn myself into a spitting image of the Edge c. PopMart.

(Two more quick things: yes, this means I've only got one kidney, and yes, it functions better than both of yours...or, in one case, all four of yours.)

So: now that you know all my main reasons for doing Movember, you'll be relieved to know that the Mike Brown Tribute Duster isn't long for this earth. Surely that's worthy of a donation in and of itself?

St. Phil of Kessel

2011-11-26T14:33:00.002-07:00

Today's one of those ~~stupid~~ unusual Saturdays where the Leafs don't play. In the absence of any meaningful hockey till tomorrow at 7pm MST, here's a classic Phil Kessel picture (J-What, this explains the messages after Leaf goals). GO LEAFS GO! PLAYOFFS!!1

Movember 25

2011-11-25T16:21:00.004-07:00

In the words of Rivers Cuomo, "This is beginning to get serious." Check out the November 25th mo!

You're probably wondering how I'm able to grow such a glorious mustache...and as much as I'd like to take all the credit, at least part of the explanation lies in good genes.

Good genes?

Good genes. They're all yours, dad:

You're welcome. No, really! You're welcome! (Donations are still being sought, by the way. Click here!)

I Have No Juice in My Battery

2011-11-24T13:09:00.001-07:00

Thus the travel season ends neither with a bang nor a whimper, but with a curtailed trip, a cold--I think it's a cold--and a dead car battery. Let me explain.

First, the curtailed trip. I was supposed to be spending this week in eastern British Columbia, one of my favourite spots in all of Canada--but the road conditions were abysmal (the short drive from Kimberley to Cranbrook was especially bad), and after seeing freezing rain in the weather forecast I pulled the plug on the rest of the trip and drove back to Calgary yesterday afternoon. Freezing rain on mountain roads? No, thanks.

Second, the cold. This one's self-explanatory. Moving on!

Third, the dead car battery...and some context. On Wednesday Ambassador Gordo wrote on his Facebook wall, "So, just to cap off the morning where my rental car was crusted in about an inch of ice, I thought it would be best to lock myself out of it while it's running. FML." I "liked" the update, and why not? It's fun laughing at the misfortunes of others! Of course, I then discovered I'd left my lights on overnight; compounding the situation, my rental (a 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan) had neither a keyhole nor an external latch for the front hood. In other words, I needed a jump...but I couldn't pop the hood without first getting inside the vehicle, which could only be accessed using the buttons on my keychain, which obviously weren't working because the car's battery had died. I ended up calling a towing company; this, in turn, is how I spent twenty minutes yesterday morning standing in the pouring rain helping the towing company guy break into my vehicle. In other news, there's a co-relation between these last two points.

But I'm home, and I'm off the road for the foreseeable future. As of today my next trip isn't till early March, when I go back to Latin America for two-and-a-half weeks. For now, it's nice to be here!

Movember 20: Mountain Mo

2011-11-20T19:37:00.001-07:00

Greetings from Fernie, where I'd happily go each week just so I could drive the Cowboy Trail. Today's soundtrack was mostly rooted in the mid-90s:

The Tragically Hip, Phantom Power (1998)
I Mother Earth, Scenery and Fish (1996)
The Smashing Pumpkins, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995) (the first part, Dusk to Dawn, which is not to be confused with the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez vampire movie From Dusk Till Dawn)
Tom Waits, the Bawlers disc from the Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards collection (2006) (which features "Fanning Street," maybe my favourite Tom Waits song)

Again, some songs just sound better in the mountains. "Porcelina of the Vast Oceans" while driving through Crowsnest Pass? Please sir, I want some more. (Someday I'll post my own ultimate single disc Mellon Collie. I don't buy that Mellon Collie's too long...but there's definitely some flabby bits, and if you stripped them away and re-jigged a few of the songs you'd have an album that would leave a trail of dead in its wake.)

Anyway. It's time for a Movember update. I'm staying at one of my favourite hotels, the Best Western Plus Fernie Mountain Lodge--I literally have no idea how many times I've stayed here, but it's got to be nearing a dozen--and it lends itself to self-portrait-taking much better than, say, the Treasure Island Resort in Grand Cayman. Plus, as the month continues, I'm beginning to turn into a mountain man:

Tomorrow, after I get settled in Cranbrook, I'll write that long-delayed "why I'm doing Movember" entry. My motives should be pretty evident...but still, I want to articulate them.

Movember 18: Mr. Jones and Me

2011-11-18T13:25:00.001-07:00

Brace yourselves.

When Your Rooster Crows at the Break of Dawn

2011-11-15T06:02:00.001-07:00

YOU THOUGHT I WAS KIDDING, DIDN'T YOU??!

Anyone ever been to a hotel with a rooster problem? I hadn't either--till I stayed at the Treasure Island Resort, which is easily the worst place I've stayed during five seasons of recruitment. This morning I was awoken by one of the roosters that wander its premises; that probably sounds rustic, but it's not, and it's just the tip of the iceberg where this hotel's issues are concerned. There's no hot water; the shower pressure is so low it's almost misleading referring to a "shower" (a "trickle" would be more accurate). There's no internet--I'm stealing from the adjacent bar--and there's no ironing board in the room; this latter point seems trivial until you're travelling for business, at which point it becomes rather significant. The clientele's an odd assortment of budget travelers, locals, Canadian post-secondary recruiters, and grown men dressed as pirates (yes, pirates: it's Pirate Week in the Caymans, and the stars of the show are apparently all stationed here at the Treasure Island Resort. On Sunday I walked down to the pool and found ten of them huddled around the bar.) The pool's water looks almost brown. On Sunday I found hairs that were patently not mine on the bathroom floor; right now there's a single, solitary fly staring at me from the other bed.

Given all this, and given that I've been gone for almost three full weeks...can you blame me for being really, really excited for tomorrow's flight home??

Movember 13

2011-11-13T21:10:00.001-07:00

Movember's reached the awkward point where I've actually begun to enjoy my mustache. But look at it! Can you blame me??

Bali Ha'i

2011-11-12T15:59:00.001-07:00

Or something like that.

Miami Steve, Part 3

2011-11-12T10:22:00.001-07:00

Greetings from Miami-Dade County Airport, where I'm once again enjoying a lengthy layover (this one a sliver under four hours; my last one was closer to five). I spent the last two nights at an all-inclusive in Montego Bay, which did little to convince me that all-inclusives aren't Hells on Earth (and the Montego Bay airport is awful, absolutely awful, a full frontal assault of garish colours and screaming children and people unironically reading celebrity gossip magazines). Anyway: I'm in Miami and bound for Grand Cayman. I'm not staying at an all-inclusive, thank goodness, but rather a place bearing the foreboding name Treasure Island Resort. It's "right on the beach," according to the website, which will be a new experience for me. There's also a dive shop in the hotel lobby; the current plan's to dive tomorrow and Monday, then work all day Tuesday before flying home on Wednesday. I'm reading--for no particular reason--Dispatches by Michael Herr; I'm juggling Mother Love Bone, the Nightwatchman's The Fabled City album, and American Idiot on the iPod. There are certainly worse ways of ending a three-week work trip.

Movember 11: All-Inclusive Mo

2011-11-11T16:34:00.001-07:00

Progress!

Hey, have you donated yet? Just click here and follow the instructions and soon you'll be able to say that yes, you've contributed to the Mike Brown Tribute Duster Campaign!

Jamaica

2011-11-10T20:47:00.001-07:00

Greetings from Montego Bay, where I'm currently sat on the floor of my room at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa listening to Tom Waits and watching a stream of the Leafs/Blues game. It's nights like these when it's hard to believe I get paid to do what I do.

Tomorrow it's a fair here, then Saturday I fly to the Cayman Islands. Re-read the last sentence of that last paragraph. Movember update tomorrow!

Movember 7, Evening Edition

2011-11-08T14:28:00.000-07:00

I'm posing for a Movember photo shoot later tonight...but in the meantime, three potential new mustache models have surfaced. Check 'em out!

Lemmy! Or, courtesy Gavin Incognito, how 'bout...

...Hulk Hogan? Of course, no one can pull off Hulk Hogan or Lemmy other than Hulk Hogan or Lemmy--so I decided to look elsewhere for inspiration. And where better than the world of professional football? Here's Broadway Joe!

(And here's Broadway Joe!)

I like it. And then it hit me: Joe Naimath was an NFL quarterback with a handlebar mustache. What other NFL quarterbacks have had a handlebar mustache?

Oh, no!!!

I think I'll stick with Mike Brown, thanks.

Little Chocolate Einstein

2011-11-08T14:04:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, a school gave me a thank-you present: a little chocolate Einstein.

Which is nice, but it begs the question: what the hell am I supposed to do with a little chocolate Einstein??

"Age of Anger"

2011-11-06T16:14:00.001-07:00

Greetings from Quito, where the weather report's about as uplifting as a Joy Division song. I seldom buy anything when I travel--books and Texas Longhorns swag at GEORGE BUSH INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT notwithstanding--but yesterday at the El Ejido Park market found something I simply couldn't resist: this reproduction of a panel from "Age of Anger" by the great Ecuadorian artist Oswaldo Guayasamín.

If you're ever in Quito, Guayasamín's Chapel of Man is a must-see. I need to learn more about Guayasamín and his work and how they both dovetail with Latin American art history; it's so stark and so moving it demands further attention. In the meantime, I'll have to figure out where I'm hanging this when I get back to Calgary next Wednesday.

Movember 5

2011-11-05T18:36:00.002-06:00

Oh yeah: this is happening.

Meanwhile, I'm disappointed that Small n' Bald hasn't responded to my proposed Roommate Movember Duel...although based on the photographic evidence thus far it'd be a bit like me challenging him to an Ally McBeal marathon. My superior growth might simply be genetic: once I'm back in Calgary I'll post a photo of my father wearing a spectacular moustache from c1973. It truly is the moustache that launched a thousand ships in the opposite direction.

Quick update! My friend Tony suggests I try aping the Edge c. PopMart Tour. Thoughts? I could certainly be convinced.

Up Among the Stars

2011-11-05T09:20:00.003-06:00

Ever wonder what the view's like from a hotel room that's 9,350 feet above sea level? I've got your answer:

Last night the smoke detector in my room malfunctioned. I don't know why--Robert M. Pirsig would presumably say it's because of my romantic worldview--but the result was the smoke detector sounding like "Eruption" by Van Halen. At 3:30 I called the front desk; it took two men over an hour to fix it, and so instead of sleeping eight hours I slept four. Today just became a whole lot lazier.

In Quito

2011-11-05T00:34:00.001-06:00

"Sometimes it's a little better to travel than to arrive."
- Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

I came across this quote while plugging away at Pirsig's discursives on classical vs. romantic paradigms, inductive/deductive logic, and how Phaedrus drove himself insane simply by thinking too much (a cautionary tale, that). Regardless, while there's some truth in it, I didn't feel that way at all at 11:30 this evening when my plane touched down in Quito, Ecuador. Tonight is my sixth consecutive night in a different city; mercifully it's the final night of my milk run across the northern half of South America, and I'm stationed here till Wednesday. I just finished organizing my laundry--hardly a glamorous activity but certainly a necessary one (I haven't done laundry since my trip began; who knew the Port of Spain Hyatt wouldn't have laundry service on Sunday?). And since I have no clothes to speak of, tomorrow I'll be hard-pressed to leave my hotel. I'm in desperate need of down time--not to mention office time, which I haven't had since leaving Calgary. I'm glad to be here: I'm a big fan of Ecuador, and that was before J-1s and Alana moved to Quito in August. Plus, wait till you get a load of my view!

But that's for tomorrow. I've earned my eight hours today. This will assuredly not be the case tomorrow...and I, for one, am grateful. Buenos noches.

Movember 3

2011-11-04T09:49:00.000-06:00

How goes the Mike Brown-style duster? Glad you asked:

I choose to see this as modest growth. Others may disagree.

Hey, feel like contributing to my Movember campaign? Click here to donate! Once I get to Ecuador I'll provide more information about Movember itself (those who don't know what it is should click here) and about the fabulous U of C Stiff Upper Lippers team. In the meantime, I have half-an-hour to shower, not shave, pack, and check out of my Lima hotel. See you in Quito!

I'm Very Prestigious

2011-11-03T23:03:00.001-06:00

Greetings from Lima, the fifth different city I've slept in since Sunday, where another 31-for-31 item has bitten the dust:

Congratulations! You have just reached the threshold level to qualify for 2012 Air Canada Prestige status. As such, you will be entitled to an exciting range of privileges from March 1, 2012 to February 28, 2013. This also means that you're just 10,000 Status Miles away from 2012 Air Canada Elite status and its even more exclusive benefits.

It's strange that it's taken so long to reach Air Canada's Top Tier Program--but I made it, and now I'll have to figure out how to reach Elite status before March.

Movember 1

2011-11-01T22:06:00.000-06:00

Let's do this.

This evening, after arriving in Medellin (which is beautiful, by the way), I performed a final ritual shave with--inevitably--"Pretty Women" from Sweeney Todd playing in the background. I now look almost exactly like this:

The goal, of course, is to end November looking like Mike Brown of the Toronto Maple Leafs:

More information, including details on how your money can help make this happen, will follow tomorrow. I'd imagine my parents are already utterly confused.

Colombian Redemption Song

2011-11-01T15:47:00.000-06:00

I have bad luck with Colombia: Bogota literally makes me sick, to say nothing of this year's Heavy Artillery Incident (which technically occurred in Colombian airspace and which was still wreaking havoc when we landed in the nation's capital). And while it looked as though Barranquilla was about to show its fangs, I'm currently writing beneath a brilliant afternoon sun, listening loudly to Achtung Baby, and thinking maybe, just maybe, I'm figuring this "Life" thing out. I'm in a good place right now--mentally, I'm better than I've been since high school--and while recruitment still isn't a forever-type proposition, it's still about as good a job as I can imagine doing for now.

For now: it's like the Avenue Q song, the one with the outdated George Bush reference.

For now we're healthy,
For now we're employed,
For now we're happy,
If not overjoyed
And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid, for now.

That's just is, isn't it? This is all just for now...and for now it's good. "Good" is having a job that lets me travel, that forces me to challenge myself (hey, the Spanish is improving!), and that lets me have a tangible effect on other people. I still don't see it as a career--but there's something to be said for seeing its benefits for the immediate future. I'm off to Medellin, a place I've never visited. Colombia has a very real chance of redeeming itself in my eyes. Let's see how this goes!

Miami Steve v1

2011-10-31T13:31:00.002-06:00

I'm in Florida for the first time ever, waiting for a flight to Barranquilla that's two hours late and counting. It just occurred to me that Florida has an unusually poor musical pedigree. Tom Petty's from Florida, but so are Limp Bizkit and Creed...not to mention the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, and Brittany Spears. I'm guessing Flo Rida's from Florida, as well, and I just finished listening to three of his bigger hits to mark the occasion of my first of four visits to the state between today and November 16.

It's also worth mentioning I've made it this far without getting sick. Fingers crossed, people...fingers crossed.

Chillin' Out Max in Port of Spain

2011-10-30T11:55:00.001-06:00

Greetings once again from Port of Spain, where it...is...pouring out. And that's okay--because right now I'm sitting on a king-sized bed, watching football, and waiting for room service. It wasn't pouring out at 7:30, which is when I was whisked away for a traditional Trini breakfast (called "doubles") and a sightseeing tour of the city. Somewhere in there I realized that I'm starting to figure this "life" thing out; yesterday, for instance, when it was +44 outside I was getting paid to eat at a restaurant abutting the Caribbean Sea. It hasn't all been fun and games--the fairs (two days, joint Canadian/American) have been hectic--but Trinidad's been a pretty good place to start this latest trip. Alas, I'm leaving for Colombia tomorrow morning. In twenty-four hours I'll be leaving Miami for Barranquilla to start leg two.

O Hai Port of Spain

2011-10-27T20:18:00.002-06:00

Greetings, after fourteen hours of travelling, from the Hyatt Regency Trinidad. You should see my room! I just ate $60 sushi--it was nice knowing you, per diem!--and now I'm unpacking and watching what I hope is the last World Series game. (Of the year, I mean--not the last World Series game ever.) A few quick points as I unwind:

I like Houston's airport--henceforth referred to in Stuff and Nonsense as GEORGE BUSH INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPOT--but I hate landing there: it's seldom smooth, usually bumpy, occasionally stomach-churningly so. Today was stomach-churning. I have no idea why this is the case.
I decided to save Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance for later, and instead started reading Christopher McDougall's book Born to Run--which is sensational. Review to follow!
During the first flight I gave the new Tom Waits album Bad As Me its inaugural spin (or "spin," since I was obviously listening to a digital copy; I don't haul a turntable onto international flights). I liked it, but it'll take more than a solitary listen to formulate any real sort of opinion. I still have about thirty-four hours of flying left to do, so there will be ample opportunity for that.
I'm on a major Nightmatchman kick. Tom Morello's solo project's newest release is brilliantly good; it's called World Wide Rebel Songs, and while it was written and released in 2011 there's a timeless quality to the music and to Morello's voice (which isn't great, but which serves the music admirably). Well worth investigating.

Here's to a great trip! I took some great shots during the flight from Houston to Port of Spain; I'll try posting them later (kind of depends on figuring out the hotel's wireless--I'm plugged in right now). Till then.

Trini-dad? Trini-RAD!

2011-10-26T13:32:00.002-06:00

This time tomorrow I'll (probably) be on my way from Houston to Trinidad, where it's currently a balmy 29°C that feels, because of humidity, like 41°C. I'm excited to go--this, despite the fact that Trinidad's been in a state of upheaval for months or getting emails warning about the island having "a curfew in place to try to cut down on the gruesome crimes" (this is an actual line from an actual email). Anyway: I've embraced the virtues of packing early, so I'm essentially ready to go...which is good, since my alarm's set for 3:45am and my cab's arriving at 4:30. Meanwhile, because I'm spending approximately forty-four hours in the air between tomorrow and November16 I'm bringing a veritable stack of books along for the ride. They are, in no particular order:

Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Christopher McDougall, Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen (N.B.: this book is not about Bruce Springsteen)
Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success
Michael Herr, Dispatches
Stanley Wells, Shakespeare & Co.

I've also been ripping CDs--the new Tom Waits album Bad As Me among them--to keep me company along the way. Talk at you from Port of Spain!

The Black Keys, "Lonely Boy"

2011-10-26T09:13:00.001-06:00

Yes. All kinds of yes.

Chuck Klosterman 1, Lulu 0

2011-10-25T17:27:00.003-06:00

I've never been Chuck Klosterman's biggest fan. I've enjoyed some of his stuff--both Fargo Rock City and Killing Yourself to Live, for instance--but for the most part I've found it to be pretentious pseudo-intellectual pap (which is to say nothing of his attitude towards my beloved Minnesota Vikings). But his review of Lulu, the unlikely collaboration between Metallica and Lou Reed, is required reading. It's absolutely one of the best album reviews you'll read, typified by passages like this one:

For much of my life, I lived under the myth that record labels were inherently evil. I was ceaselessly reminded that corporate forces stopped artists from doing what they truly desired; they pushed musicians toward predictable four-minute radio singles and frowned upon innovation, and they avariciously tried to turn art into a soulless commodity that MTV could sell to the lowest common denominator. And that did happen, sometimes. But some artists need that, or they end up making albums like this.

As Klosterman himself makes clear, there's something admirable about the idea of Lulu. His praising of the creative process on one hand while slating the results on the other is what makes Klosterman's piece such a riot. Grantland's been a bit hit-and-miss since its inception, but pieces like this are the reason I visit the site every single day. Enjoy!

Them 6, Us 5

2011-10-23T23:52:00.000-06:00

We came close--oh so close--to snatching victory from the jaws of defeat this evening before ultimately being foiled by a deceptively agile goalkeeper. I hate losing, even if it's a four-aside coed soccer game, and tonight's defeat had me thinking about this classic Nike soccer commerical. The song is "Don't Speak (I Came to Make a Bang)" by the Josh Homme band Eagles of Death Metal. Enjoy! I'll be riding the post-game adrenaline rush till two o'clock in the morning.

Toronto Maple Leafs 5, Montreal Canadiens 4 (O.T.)

2011-10-23T12:58:00.001-06:00

There's something to be said for cheering for a losing team. But enough about Manchester United (a quick word about today's derby debacle: it wasn't as lopsided as the final score suggests, but City were deserving winners). The Toronto Maple Leafs are 5-1-1 and in third place in the NHL's Eastern Conference--yes, I know it's October 23; let me have this--and yesterday they beat the Montreal Canadiens courtesy Mikhail Gravobski's sensational overtime winner. It's one thing to try that move in the shootout (which Grabovski did against the Blues last season), but it's another to do it in an actual game, against your biggest rivals, and pull it off. These sorts of highlights have been few and far between for the Leafs since the lockout, so I'm willing to take whatever I can get--even if it's only October. Besides, beating Montreal will never, ever get old.

(Yesterday was a sneaky good sports day for me: in addition to the Leafs winning, the Queen's football team beat the #1 ranked Western Mustangs 37-0; it was the first time Western had been shut out since 1973. And it was even televised!)

Phantom of the Opera in the Albert Hall

2011-10-23T11:26:00.002-06:00

I envisioned being the only person in the theatre for Phantom of the Opera in the Albert Hall yesterday. Who else could possibly be interested in attending a screening (at $21 a pop) of a three-hour concert production of a 1986 musical? Or even know about it, for that matter? Remember, I've seen Phantom twenty-four times and barely had any idea this was happening.

Evidently lots: not only was I not the only person in the theatre, I wasn't even in the theatre--because by the time I arrived half-an-hour before showtime the screening was sold out. So instead of celebrating my twenty-year Phantomversary by seeing Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess light up the big screen--they were both astonishingly good in Love Never Dies--I spent the afternoon wandering Chinook Centre and, eventually, buying a Bill Watterson biography I didn't even kow existed till yesterday (which took some of the sting off; I'm a devoted Calvin & Hobbes fan, by the way). You'd think I'd have learned my lesson after almost missing PJ20 last month. Of course, as Our Fetching Blonde observed as we walked away from the box office empty-handed, maybe this means I'm not as weird as I thought. Hurry up and get here, February DVD release date!

My Heavy Artillery

2011-10-19T13:01:00.003-06:00

Story time! Everything you're about to read is true, by the way; it happened to me (and others) last March in Panama City, Bogota, and the airspace between the two cities. Also, for what will soon be obvious reasons, I'm going to recount part of the story using a military analogy.

Anyway. I got sick in Costa Rica--but whatever it was (and I think it was a parasite, although at the time I thought it was food poisoning) didn't hit me till our group arrived at Panama City's Tocumen International Airport. My stomach had began feeling funny during the flight; I assumed it was hunger pangs, and so I grabbed a sub. But that didn't help--and just before boarding our flight to Bogota I excused myself from the group, ran to a nearby washroom, and was violently ill. That, I hoped, was that...but ten minutes into my next flight I realized it wasn't. (Cue military analogy.) What had developed was actually a war on two fronts, and so I went to the back of the plane to do battle. I'd just defeated the enemies along the southern border (as it were) and was cleaning up the battlefield so I could move my troops up north. It was at this exact moment that a flight attendant, apparently thinking he'd forgotten to unlock the washroom after take-off, threw open the door to let in a female passenger. They were greeted by the sight of me standing with my pants around my knees, a wad of toilet paper in my right hand, and my heavy artillery on full display. They shrieked and ran in opposite directions; I pulled the door closed, locked myself back in, burst into laughter, and then vomited.

Again, this is a true story. In all I was sick on three separate occasions during that one-hour flight; the night ended with me sprawled on my Bogota hotel's tiled bathroom floor too sick to drag my body back to the bed. The next morning I actually went to the lobby and tried boarding our group's bus; it took three people to turn me around, but I eventually spent the rest of the day sleeping in my work clothes. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it...and somewhere in Colombia some poor woman's still licking her wounds.

Gearing Up for Getting Out

2011-10-18T22:21:00.000-06:00

I don't know much about math--Tall n' Blonde just helped demonstrate my apparent failure to grasp ratios, for instance--but I know enough to add a few numbers together. I did that earlier this afternoon at work...and discovered, to my surprise and chagrin, that I'll be spending approximately forty-four hours in the air these next few weeks.

Check it out:

Calgary -> Houston -> Port-of-Spain -> Miami -> Barranquilla -> Medellin -> Bogota -> Lima -> Bogota -> Quito -> Miami -> Kingston, Jamaica

And then, after a bus from Jamaica to Montego Bay...

Montego Bay -> Miami -> George Town -> Miami -> Houston -> Calgary

Of note: no fewer than four visits to Miami International Airport. I've never even been to the state of Florida! Incredibly, this is actually the sanest itinerary my travel agent could concoct; the lynchpin had to either be Miami or Panama, and after what happened to me at the Panama airport in March I'm in no rush to return. (Have I told this story yet? I don't think so...and I should, because it's phenomenal.) Of course, this'll give me plenty of time to read. I'm currently finishing up Clemente, David Maraniss' intriguing biography of the late hall-of-famer. Up next, I think, is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which has been in the pipeline now for years. It's time...and as soon as I set out for Port-of-Spain next Thursday, I'll have plenty of that.

It Was Twenty Years Ago Today

2011-10-18T14:15:00.000-06:00

Twenty years ago today I saw The Phantom of the Opera for the very first time. It's difficult for me to fathom that something so seminal in my life could've happened two decades ago. But one thing's certain: that first Phantom changed my life. As I wrote on the nineteenth anniversary last year, "That night, a very firm line was drawn between my pre-Phantom existence and everything that would follow." (I'm actually pretty proud of that entry: it's one of the few occasions I've been able to write about something that means as much to me as Phantom does without gushing; I've yet to do it for Pearl Jam, for instance. The chances of me doing it twice are slim, but it'll serve again this year. Go on--have a look.)

I still maintain that that first Phantom cast is the best one I'll ever see, though at the time I wasn't to know that Peter Karrie and Rebecca Caine would prove definitive in the two leading roles (at the time I was mostly disappointed to be missing Colm Wilkinson; I saw Phantom in Toronto three times during his four-year run and didn't see him once, though I did get to see him play Jean Valjean in Les Miserables in 1998). This Saturday, the 25th anniversary concert production of Phantom's being screened all over the world, Calgary included. That seems like a fitting way of observing my twenty-year Phantom anniversary--of reaffirming how much the musical means to me now, but also reminding me how my life changed forever on October 18, 1991. Twenty years ago today. The mind boggles.

6:16 on a Sunday Evening

2011-10-16T18:16:00.002-06:00

There's something to be said for five a.m. wake-ups. By noon yesterday I had, among other things, driven Small n' Bald to the airport, watched Manchester United's 1-1 draw against Liverpool, eaten breakfast, drank a pot of coffee, worked out, and gone book shopping. I've learned that I function a lot better when I go to bed early...like, "by ten" early. I usually wake up at seven, then spent at least half-an-hour reading my Twitter feed; that leaves me about half-an-hour to shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, and leave for work, and barring any unforeseen circumstances I'll be there in plenty of time. Travelling takes it out of me; I'm still recovering from my last trip, partly because the cold I picked up in Costa Rica simply refuses to go away. Thus, when I'm home I like to be home. If you're looking for me between now and October 27 there's a pretty good chance you'll find me exactly where I am right now: on the couch, with at least one book within an arm's length and sports on t.v. (Skol Vikings, by the way!). It's not a bad way to be--especially not when my next trip's taking me to no less than three Caribbean islands.

That's right: three. In addition to Trinidad and Jamaica I've added Grand Cayman to my itinerary. I reckon it's time to watch The Firm again.

Saturdazed

2011-10-15T10:05:00.002-06:00

Greetings from my bedroom! It's ten o'clock on Saturday morning, yet already I've been awake for five hours--partly because I'm a good roommate, partly because I watched Manchester United's desultory 1-1 draw against Liverpool. My immediate, pressing plans include going to the gym, buying groceries, and watching college football...so a pretty good Saturday, then, and one that promises to get even better because I get to watch the Leafs for the first time this season. This week was hectic--and I still haven't recovered from the cold I picked up in Costa Rica, which means I was unusually lethargic and sleeping unreasonably long. This weekend's for recovery, then--just as last weekend was for recovery, and just as next weekend promises to be for recovery as well, though from what I do not know. This time in two weeks I'll be in Port-of-Spain.

The Other Team 3, Our Team 0

2011-10-10T11:03:00.000-06:00

How should I put this?

Had I done what I did last night in our league championship game while playing for Colombia in the 1994 World Cup...they wouldn't have settled for just murdering me. No, they'd have gotten me, my family, my friends, and everyone any of us had ever spoken to in our lives. Literally a billion people would've died as a result of my catastrophic stupidity.

As you were.

Creature Comforts

2011-10-09T12:16:00.000-06:00

Greetings from home! I'm sitting on the couch wearing sweats, drinking coffee (Kicking Horse's Kick Ass blend--and yes, mom, that's what it's actually called), watching my beloved Vikings blow out the Arizona Cardinals...and not much else. But what's the point in coming home if you can't have a day like today?

Exactly. And with Small n' Bald and Tall n' Blonde at the Banff Springs I came home to an empty house, which meant Queens of the Stone Age being played loudly at 8am (Lullabies to Paralyze, if you're wondering). This was a good trip--the company was outstanding--yet I was oddly excited for it to end. I'll be in Calgary for two weeks before heading back down south--first to Trinidad, then to South America, and then, finally, to Jamaica (and maybe the Cayman Islands). But it's fall in Alberta; it's the best time to be here, to be drinking coffee and watching football and to be playing soccer (that comes later). Travel can wait. I'm glad to be where I am right now.

Home

2011-10-09T10:06:00.001-06:00

Hasta Lluego, Guatemala!

2011-10-08T10:02:00.003-06:00

I'm at the airport and I'm headed for home! It's been a great trip--which ones aren't?--but I'm glad it's over...at least for a little while, since I'll be back in this part of the world in just over two weeks. Next stops: Houston and then Calgary!

Guatemalan Sunset, 2011 Edition

2011-10-06T22:51:00.000-06:00

Greetings from Guatemala City, where I'm lying on a king-sized bed, listening to Quadrophenia, and resisting the urge to fall asleep. It's probably a losing battle: I slept fitfully last night, left my hotel at 7:30am, visited four schools, and didn't eat anything till after 3 in the afternoon. Oh...and I was in Managua, Nicaragua till 8pm. Not the easiest of days, then.

Our time in Nicaragua was enjoyable, albeit brief. Three of the four schools we visited said we were actually their first-ever Canadian guests, and both the teachers and the students were unusually appreciative. But my exhaustion--I actually didn't know green tea was caffeinated till last night, when I drank two large cups before bed in an attempt to ward off my cold and then inevitably had a fitful night's sleep--made it difficult to appreciate my surroundings. Nicaragua, like El Salvador, is a country I'll have to revisit. Now I'm in Guatemala, which I last visited nineteen months ago. The flight was uneventful, and at the same time typical of most Latin American flights. Basically, as long as you're not trying to hijack the airplane you're allowed to do pretty much whatever you want, and I was listening to the Queens of the Stone Age album Songs for the Dead, loudly, when the plane touched down (I dare you to try that on a North American flight). It's odd: I've actually stayed at this hotel before, but I barely remember being here. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be alert enough to actually enjoy my time in Guatemala. That, of course, demands that I sleep--and I'm going to go and do just that.

I Got A Cold

2011-10-05T22:15:00.000-06:00

Greetings from Managua, Nicaragua! On Sunday I had Bieber Fever; today, as I prepare to sleep in my fourth different country in the past eight days it's merely a common cold, but it's severe enough that it's putting a damper on my trip. Tonight at dinner I drank two large cups of green tea, not realizing that it's actually highly caffeinated. Consequently, I'm buzzing right now...this, despite the fact that I'm tired, worn out (not the same thing as tired), and badly in need of eight solid hours' sleep. Somehow I doubt it'll happen tonight--or tomorrow or Friday, for that matter.

I've never been to Nicaragua before, and given that I'll barely be here twenty-four hours I'm not likely to form many concrete opinions of the place. But Managua's is--I believe--the first airport I've flown into in which aircraft land and then taxi on the same runway. Uncomfortable thoughts of the infamous Tenerife airport disaster danced around my head as our Boeing 737 rolled towards the terminal. I'll be back there tomorrow, headed for Guatemala City and--after two nights at a swanky Westin hotel--for Calgary on Saturday. Hopefully by then I won't be as though my sinuses are caught inside a trash compactor.

I Got A Fever

2011-10-02T20:05:00.002-06:00

Greetings from Mexico City, where I've got a fever...a Bieber fever! That's right: Stratford's favourite son's staying at a hotel two doors down from ours--he's playing two shows here this weekend--and thus the entire Polanco neighbourhood's been turned into a police state full of flashing lights and barricades and screaming preteen girls. It's all a bit disconcerting; what's worse are the cars painted (presumably with mom and dad's permission) with "I [HEART] JB" and the like. It's not that I dislike Justin Bieber, except maybe out of a misguided sense of principle. It's just strange, seeing Bieber Fever up close and personal without actually attending a concert.

Pumas 1 - 0 Club America

2011-10-01T21:45:00.001-06:00

I'd never make an effort to watch Mexican league soccer...but if I'm in Mexico City, and its two biggest teams are playing each other in El Clásico Capitalino, and there's a group of people who want to go and there's a person who can procure us tickets and drive us to and from the stadium, I'm invariably going to go. The game itself was borderline unwatchable. There was precious little skill on display at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario this afternoon: the game was ninety minutes of brute physicality, of two teams confusing "lumping the ball forward" with "attacking football." But the experience was worth the (inflated) price of admission. The Pumas goal was scrappy (and I still have no idea who scored it), but was celebrated with beer being flung from the upper bowl onto those of us seated below. Roaving senders, who were hawking everything from beer to "signed" pictures of Javier Hernandez, continually climbed in front of us and then onto the backs of our seats. Our view was partly obscured by a chain-link fence...and it didn't matter. All that mattered was six friends at a soccer game together, getting lost together after it was finished (it took us an hour and fifteen minutes to find our driver), and living to tell the tale. I'll never complain about an opportunity with that sort of payoff.

El Clásico Capitalino

2011-09-30T20:48:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow, after working at a college fair for four hours, I'm attending the so-called "El clásico capitalino" between Club América and Club Universidad Nacional. I can't see it being as visceral as going to Azteca last year--the game's at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario--but a local derby in one of the world's biggest cities will surely be one hell of an occasion. It's been a busy week thus far; Wednesday, for instance, began at 3:45am in Calgary and didn't end till just before midnight in Mexico City after I'd finished watching the greatest-ever final day in Major League Baseball history. More updates later!

Hola Mexico!

2011-09-27T21:14:00.000-06:00

Goodbye, cruel Canada. This time tomorrow I'll be in Mexico City for the start of a ten-day, four-country Mexican and Central American adventure. I loved Mexico City when I first visited last year. There won't be any soccer games at the Estadio Azteca this time around; there's an outside chance of a System of a Down concert tomorrow (no, really), but in all likelihood I'll be spending the majority of my time either working or eating, which is basically par for the course during these sorts of excursions. I'm packed; I've got my alarm set for 3:45am and a parental phone call arriving at around the same time. My flight for Houston leaves at 7.

It goes without saying that I'll be gamely employing my newfound Spanish skills this week. How this'll go is anyone's guess, but I'll have updates from the road keeping you abreast of my progress. Until then!

Detroit Lions 26, Minnesota Vikings 23 (O.T.)

2011-09-25T17:16:00.002-06:00

The National Football League's been around since 1920. In that time, no team had ever blown three consecutive double-digit leads and lost...until today. My beloved Vikings lost to Detroit in overtime, the first time the Lions had won at the Metrodome since 1997. The Vikings led 20-0 at halftime before imploding. They led by seventeen last weekend; they led by ten the weekend before.

And they're 0-3.The Minnesota Vikings, ladies and gentlemen! Making the wrong kind of history for fifty-one years and counting.

(Still, all is not lost. I just avoided being part of an all-time ~~suicide~~ survival bloodbath thanks to Matt Cassel. And the God Squad's currently leading Beast Mode by 103 points. It's the little things that matter on days like today...right?)

Pearl Jam in Edmonton: Thirty-Second Heaven

2011-09-24T10:50:00.002-06:00

My seventh and final show of 2011. I'd love to go to Vancouver--I priced it out yesterday, discovered there wasn't a return flight that would get me back to Calgary in time for work Monday morning, and let it go--but I'm happy having yesterday be my finale for these three wonderful weeks following Pearl Jam from rural Wisconsin to Northern Alberta.

Set:

Wash (for a third time!)
Why Go
Given to Fly
Got Some
Severed Hand
Setting Forth
Not For You
Even Flow
Marker in the Sand! (first time hearing this since 2006)
Down
U (first time hearing this since 2005...although I'd have been fine never hearing it again)
Present Tense (pictured above from third row, Stone's side...thanks, Jen!)
Black
1/2 Full
Last Kiss
The Fixer
Wasted Reprise
Life Wasted (still don't like the lower tuning)

1st Encore (random fact: Pearl Jam has played two or more encore every time I've seen them...except the first two):

Just Breathe
Come Back (which was botched, though I'm not exactly sure why)
Unthought Known
Daughter

W.M.A. (tag)
Another Brick in the Wall 2 [Pink Floyd] (tag). It was here that yesterday's concert "turned" (and that's not quite the word I'm looking for--but I didn't get home till 2:59am, I slept fitfully, and I'm watching Manchester United). From "Daughter" till the end it was spectacular. Oh, it was solid up till then--but this song turned the show on its head.

Do the Evolution ("Admire me, admire my home, admire my son, admire Stone")
Alive (the best "Alive" I've seen outside of my first time...and you never forget your first time, do you?)

2nd Encore:

Once!
Better Man
Kick Out The Jams [MC5] (with three-fourths of Mudhoney...and two basses! Mark Arm tried twice to hoist Mike McCready onto his shoulders. He failed both times.)
Rockin' in the Free World [Neil Young] (alas, no Uncle Neil this time)
Yellow Ledbetter

Little Wing [Jimi Hendrix] (tag)

With that, I'm done with Pearl Jam for another tour. Thanks to all those who walked the long road with me. You'll see me on the flip side.

Pearl Jam in Calgary: My Champagne Concert

2011-09-22T00:09:00.000-06:00

Sixth row seats, the closest I've ever sat at a Pearl Jam concert? Check. A sacrificial Pearl Jam virgin? Check. A surprisingly enjoyable opening set by Mudhoney? Check. An absolute piledriver of a performance from Pearl Jam? To quote the song, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"

Set:

Release (and no, it didn't top PJ20...but still, I got my wish!)
Go
Last Exit
Given to Fly
Lukin
Insignificance (memories of 2000 for me; I hadn't heard this live since the 2005 Canadian tour)
Big Wave (I'd never heard this live!)
Unthought Known
Even Flow (I've heard this live more than any song that's ever been written)
Deep
Light Years
Daughter

Blizkrieg Bop [The Ramones]

It Happened Today [R.E.M.] (this was a beautiful tribute to R.E.M., who broke up today after thirty-one years together; the first two-thirds was just Ed on acoustic guitar, and then the rest of the band joined in and brought it home)
Setting Forth [Eddie Vedder]
Corduroy
Brain of J!
Johnny Guitar
Alive (an odd transition, from "Johnny Guitar" to "Alive," but this was a great version)

1st Encore:

Just Breathe
Parachutes
Rats (and now I understand why they've played this the last two times they've been in Calgary: because there aren't any rats in Southern Alberta!)
The Fixer
Rearviewmirror

2nd Encore:

Jeremy
Crazy Mary [Victoria Williams] (killer trade-off between Boom and Mike at the end)
Search & Destroy [Iggy Pop] (performed with Mark Arm and Steve Turner of Mudhoney; the first try was botched, with Mark chanelling Maxwell Smart by saying, "Missed it by that much!")
Fuckin' Up! [Neil Young] (this was awesome)
Yellow Ledbetter (which ended with Mike leaving the stage and performing the final solo to a fan in a wheelchair)

This was my champagne Pearl Jam concert--a thirty-first show for thirty-one years on earth. I'll be in Edmonton on Friday to wrap up my mini-tour, and then it's back to reality...well, at least until I leave for Mexico one week from today.

Warming Up for Pearl Jam in Calgary

2011-09-21T17:43:00.000-06:00

A few observations before leaving for tonight's hometown Pearl Jam concert:

My current soundtrack: Riot Act. I seldom listen to a band immediately before seeing them, but I'm willing to make an exception tonight. That's because...
I have pre-Pearl Jam nerves! I haven't gotten these in a while, not even before PJ20, but right now I think I'm more excited about seeing Pearl Jam than I've been since the Vic in 2007. I'm not sure why--but one possible reason is...
I'm reasonably certain I'll be closer to the band tonight than at any of my previous thirty Pearl Jam concerts (the 2009 Calgary V-Fest notwithstanding, but even then I escaped the rail when I realized I couldn't remember "Given to Fly" and "Save You" being played while they were still being played...if that makes sense). According to the band's official site I'll be in row six; that's row six at worst, rows one or two if I finally win the Ten Club ticket lottery, and that's one row closer than Brizzad and I saw at the Fort William Gardens.
I haven't settled on an outfit for tonight, but cowboy boots surely wouldn't be amiss. Would they?
I would love to hear "Release" this evening. It hasn't opened a show yet on Pearl Jam's Canadian tour; the version from PJ20 might never be topped, but being closer to the band than I've ever been and hearing "Release" would be magical. Oh, and I'm excited for "Alive". And I'm hoping for "Hard to Imagine".

I apologize for the deluge of Pearl Jam posts...but can you really blame me? Two hours till showtime!

PJ20

2011-09-20T21:57:00.000-06:00

I'm sitting in a darkened basement listening to one of Pearl Jam's Spectrum shows--night two, or is it night three?--and contemplating PJ20, the Cameron Crowe documentary that chronicles the first twenty years of Pearl Jam's career and that played its one-night engagement today. I'm not the person to write about it; suffice to say I loved PJ20, and since the one part of the movie that slipped ever-so-slightly into hagiography was when the fans (a.k.a. people like me) started talking about what Pearl Jam meant to them it'd be counterproductive to try and offer an objective assessment of its merits. For me, the best part was the first half-hour where Crowe (aided not just by Pearl Jam's five core members but also by Chris Cornell) examined the history of Seattle's now-legendary music scene and how Pearl Jam rose phoenix-like from the ashes of Mother Love Bone. It was fitting, then, that PJ20 culminated with Pearl Jam performing the Mother Love Bone song "Crown of Thorns" at their tenth anniversary show in Las Vegas ten years ago. PJ20 will have limited appeal to non-fans, or even to casual Pearl Jam fans, but I can't imagine a better warm-up for tomorrow night.

Let Chaos Reign

2011-09-18T14:24:00.001-06:00

Greetings from Toronto, where I just finished following my beloved Vikings' epic second hand collapse against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers! It's been a busy week for me in the T.O., but it's nothing compared to what's on the agenda moving forward. Check this out!

tonight: fly back to Calgary
tomorrow: work, then dinner with Danimal and the Haligonian
Tuesday: work in Red Deer, then PJ20 in Calgary
Wednesday: work, then Pearl Jam in Calgary
Thursday: work
Friday: work until c2, then drive to Edmonton; Pearl Jam in Edmonton

And that's just this week. Here's what happens next week:

28th: fly to Mexico City
28th till October 3: Mexico City
October 3-5: San Jose, Costa Rica
October 5 & 6: Managua, Nicaragua (and yup, I'll be reading a Roberto Clemente biography to mark the occasion)
October 6-8: Guatemala City, Guatemala
October 8: fly back to Calgary

It's all happening, to quote Almost Famous. At least there won't be many dull moments between now and Thanksgiving weekend. Be back at you from out west!

Pearl Jam in Ottawa: PJ30

2011-09-14T22:16:00.000-06:00

I saw Pearl Jam for the thirtieth time tonight. Here's the setlist:

Set:

Small Town (a first time opener for me)
Last Exit
Do the Evolution
MFC (the song, not Matt F*****g Cameron)
Unthought Known
Low Light
Given to Fly
Setting Forth
Whipping (MFC)
Corduroy (among the best of all the versions I've heard; again, MFC)
Even Flow
Grievance
Lukin (and speaking of Lukin, we met a fan at PJ20 whose son was named Lukin)
Breath!!!
Wishlist
Olé
1/2 Full
Better Man

Save it for Later [The English Beat]

1st Encore:

The End
Inside Job!
Just Breathe
Off He Goes
Why Go
The Fixer
Rearviewmirror (the best of all the versions I've heard; again, MFC)

2nd Encore:

Come Back (first time hearing it since its premiere back in 2006)
The Real Me [The Who] (killer)
Alive
Yellow Ledbetter

So a stellar performance--but the crowd, at least where we were seated, sucked. Ottawa was a bit of a last-minute decision for me, and despite several offers of extra fan club tickets we ended up in the upper bowl in a section where people spent most the night sitting on their hands. Pearl Jam Heather reckoned that most of the crowd was like that; people in other sections were standing, but it didn't seem like a lot of people were into it, y'know? Anyway: I'm back at it next Wednesday in Calgary. Tomorrow I schlep back to Toronto for J-What's final night as a bachelor. Who'd a thunk it?

Pearl Jam in Toronto, Night Two

2011-09-12T22:41:00.000-06:00

Another night at the Air Canada Centre, another solid show from Pearl Jam. Tonight's concert didn't reach the same peaks as yesterday's--the absence one Neil Young might explain that--but that's not to suggest it wasn't its equal in virtually every other respect. Plus, we got a world premiere tonight...and I'll never complain about a show that includes "Baba O'Riley."

Set:

Go
Animal
Olé (new song; it debuted the other night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, but tonight was its concert premiere. "Olé" will have to grow on me.)
Hail, Hail
In My Tree
Sad!
Dissident
Setting Forth
Corduroy (this, incredibly, was my first time hearing "Corduroy" in this latest batch of shows)
God's Dice (which featured a wonderful f***-up by Mr. Vedder)
Deep
Garden (which featured yet another wonderful f***-up by Mr. Vedder; he apologized after the first one, saying they'd only made "three or four mistakes in twenty years," then promptly doubled the tally by the end of the night. This was the album version of "Garden," not the weird, plodding version of 2006 vintage.)
Wishlist
Even Flow (Mike! Mike! Mike!)
Present Tense (which featured a wonderful f***-up by Mr. Vedder)
Rats!
State of Love and Trust
The Fixer
Porch (another killer "Porch"--that's four in a row now)

1st Encore:

Last Kiss (performed facing the fans behind the stage; the band actually stood behind their amplifiers, with Matt playing a mini bass/snare/hi-hit/crash drumkit)
Just Breathe
I Got Shit (which featured another wonderful f***-up by Mr. Vedder)

Cinnamon Girl [Neil Young]

Light Years
Jeremy
Why Go

2nd Encore:

Do the Evolution ("Admire me, admire my home, admire my son, admire Stone!")
Alive
Kick Out The Jams [MC5] (with Mark Arm and Steve Turner)
Baba O'Riley [The Who] (a far less perfunctory version than what we were getting in 2005; it's no longer a setlist regular--and that, I think, will help make it awesome again)
Yellow Ledbetter (which ended with Mike lying against his monitor two rows in front of where Mr. Sherkin was seated this evening)

I don't know who was sitting in front of me--but whoever it was had better be in Ottawa Wednesday night. Until then.

Pearl Jam in Toronto, Night One: NeilJam

2011-09-12T08:50:00.000-06:00

Well, then.

Set:

Long Road
Do the Evolution
Once
Got Some
Faithfull
Nothing As It Seems
Small Town
Setting Forth [Eddie Vedder]
Not For You

Modern Girl [Sleater-Kinney]

Given to Fly
Just Breathe
Off He Goes
Daughter

It's OK [Dead Moon]

Grievance
Down
Unthought Known
The Fixer
Porch

1st Encore:

Nothingman
Better Man

Save it for Later [The English Beat]

Leatherman
Black
Rearviewmirror

2nd Encore:

CHLOE DANCER [MOTHER LOVE BONE]
CROWN OF THORNS [MOTHER LOVE BONE]
Alive
Rockin' in the Free World [Neil Young]

Oh! I almost forgot: Neil Young joined Pearl Jam for "Rockin' in the Free World." Must've slipped my mind.So another special night with my favourite band--and that's saying nothing of how I was later accused of stealing tip money from Real Sports (I'm serious). If tonight's half as good it'll be a raging success.

"I'm Here to See Pearl Jam..."

2011-09-11T11:49:00.000-06:00

Pearl Jam's September 19, 2005 Toronto concert wasn't a classic--the band was tired, the setlist was bland--but it did feature one of the all-time great Pearl Jam cameos: Bono, still in town following U2's four-night run at the Air Canada Centre, leaped on stage during "Rockin' in the Free World," commandeered the microphone, and sang...well, a bunch of gibberish, really. But the audience's reaction was deafening; that, more than anything, is what I remember about the seventh and final show I saw during Pearl Jam's 2005 Canadian tour. Here's an example, just a little sample, courtesy YouTube user TheAngelofharlem:

Stuff I've Seen at the Air Canada Centre

2011-09-11T10:40:00.000-06:00

In honour of these forthcoming Pearl Jam concerts here's an updated list of all the events I've attended at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Links where appropriate!

Fri, Apr. 30/99: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Philadelphia Flyers (Eastern Conference Quarter Finals, Game #5) (2-1 O.T.)
Sat, Oct. 30/99: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Calgary Flames (2-1)
Sat, Nov. 13/99: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings (1-1)
Tues, Jan. 12/00: Toronto Raptors vs. Orlando Magic
Tues, Feb. 1/00: Our Lady Peace w/the Stereophonics
Thurs, Oct. 5/00: Pearl Jam w/Supergrass
Sat, Oct. 7/00: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens (2-0)
Fri, Nov. 17/00: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Sat, Dec. 2/00: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New York Rangers (8-2)
Sun, Dec. 3/00: The Tragically Hip ("An Evening with...")
Sat, Feb. 10/01: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings
Sat, Mar. 3/01: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators
Sun, Mar. 4/01: Toronto Raptors vs. New York Knicks
Tues, Sept. 18/01: Tool w/Meshuggah
Mon, Oct. 9/01: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Anaheim Mighty Ducks (6-1)
Sun, Oct. 21/01: Music Without Borders Live with the Tragically Hip, Alanis Morissette, Our Lady Peace, the Barenaked Ladies, Bruce Cockburn and Choclair
Fri, Mar. 1/02: Toronto Raptors vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Sat, Mar. 2/02: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Buffalo Sabres (2-2)
Sun, Mar. 3/02: Toronto Raptors vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Sat, Mar. 30/02: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New Jersey Devils (1-3)
Tues, May 28/02: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Carolina Hurricanes (Eastern Conference Finals, Game #6) (1-2 O.T.)
Sat, Sept. 28/02: The Who w/the Counting Crows
Mon, Oct. 14/02: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (4-5)
Wed, Oct. 16/02: The Rolling Stones w/the White Stripes
Sat, Nov. 00/02: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings
Thurs, Dec. 5/02: Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
Sun, Dec. 22/02: Toronto Raptors vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Mon, Dec. 23/02: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Atlanta Thrashers
Sat, Jan. 4/03: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New Jersey Devils
Tues, Feb. 18/03: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Mon, Oct. 13/03: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Washington Capitals
Tues, Dec. 9/03: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. St. Louis Blues
Sat, Dec. 20/03: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens (4-2)
Tues, Dec. 23/03: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers
Tues, Feb. 18/04: Toronto Raptors vs. San Antonio Spurs
Wed, Jul. 7/04: Eric Clapton w/Robert Randolph & the Family Band
Tues, Nov. 2/04: Green Day w/New Found Glory and Sugarcult
Mon, Nov. 8/04: The Beastie Boys w/Talib Kwali
Fri, Nov. 26/04: The Tragically Hip w/the Joel Plaskett Emergency
Wed, Dec. 15/04: Toronto Raptors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Wed., Jan. 26/05: Toronto Raptors vs. Miami Heat
Sun., Feb. 6/05: Toronto Raptors vs. Dallas Mavericks
Sun., Feb. 27/05: Toronto Raptors vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Fri., Mar. 11/05: Toronto Raptors vs. Atlanta Hawks
Sun., Mar. 20/05: Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (LBJ: 56/10/5/48)
Thurs, Sept. 1/05: System of a Down w/the Mars Volta and Bad Acid Trip
Sat., Sept. 17/05: U2 w/Dashboard Confessional (with a guest appearance from Eddie Vedder)
Mon., Sept. 19/05: Pearl Jam w/Sleater-Kinney (with a guest appearance from Bono)
Wed., Oct. 5/05: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators (first-ever shootout in NHL history)
Sat., Oct. 22/05: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Tues., Nov. 15/05: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New York Rangers
Fri., Dec. 23/05: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins
Thurs., Jan. 26/06: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Buffalo Sabres
Tues., Feb. 7/06: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Atlanta Thrashers
Sat., Mar. 4/06: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators
Tues., May 9/06: Pearl Jam w/My Morning Jacket
Wed., May 10/06: Pearl Jam w/My Morning Jacket
Wed., Oct. 4/06: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators
Sat., Oct. 14/06: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Calgary Flames
Tues., Nov. 21/06: Bob Dylan w/the Foo Fighters
Sat., Nov. 25/06: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins
Tues., Nov. 28/06: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins
Mon., Dec. 4/06: The Who w/The Pretenders
Tues., Dec. 5/06: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Atlanta Thrashers
Tues., Dec. 19/06: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers
Tues., Dec. 26/06: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Minnesota Wild (4-3)
Sat., Dec. 30/06: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators (2-3 O.T.)
Thurs., Feb. 8/07: The Tragically Hip w/Buck 65
Tues., Feb. 12/07: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New York Islanders
Raptors/Nets (N.B.: I don't have dates for most of the next things; I'll have to fish around and find them later on)
Leafs/Canadiens
Leafs/Senators
Leafs/Panthers (0-8)
Leafs/Canadiens
Leafs/Stars (2-8)
Leafs/Thrashers
Leafs/Sabres
Sat., Jan. 30/09-NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (5-4)
Fri., May 9/09-Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
Leafs/Penguins
Leafs/Bruins
Leafs/Sabres
Leafs/Canadiens
Leafs/Flyers (0-2)
Mon., Aug. 9/10: Paul McCartney
Sat., Nov. 6/10: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Buffalo Sabres (2-3 O.T.)
Sat., Nov. 13/10: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Vancouver Canucks (3-5)
Mon., Dec. 20/10: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Atlanta Thrashers (3-6)
Tues., Dec. 28/10: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Carolina Hurricanes (3-4)
Wed., Mar. 2/11: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (3-2 O.T.)
Sat., Mar. 5/11: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Chicago Blackhawks (3-5)
Sun., Sept. 11/11: Pearl Jam w/Mudhoney
Mon., Sept. 12/11: Pearl Jam w/Mudhoney

Wow! I've had lots of great nights at the ACC, but if I were whittling them down to a top five--and I am--I'd rank them as follows:

The second night of Pearl Jam's 2006 Air Canada Centre run was either the first- or second-best concert I've seen
The Who in 2006 was either the second- or third-best concert I've seen
Leafs vs. Flames in 2006, when Mats Sundin scored his 500th career goal, shorthanded, in overtime, to complete his hat trick
Leafs vs. Carolina, 2002 Eastern Conference Finals, for both good reasons and bad
LeBron James throwing down a career high--still--56 points in front of Saj and me.

I could write about a book about this place.

Minnesota Vikings vs. San Diego Chargers

2011-09-10T21:34:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow, for the first time since January 2, I get to watch the Minnesota Vikings...or, well, I get to watch them until I have to leave for the first of Pearl Jam's two Toronto concerts. And while I'm nowhere near as excited for this season as I was for last season (which once promised so little but which ended with the Vikings firing their head coach mid-season and their stadium's roof collapsing in December) it's not every day you get emails from a certain Joe Webb with the subject "FW: TemptingWhiteStudsUndressingAndF.u.c.kingWell‏." Alright, so it's probably a different Joe Webb--but given the Vikings' recent sordid history, it surely wouldn't be surprising if it were actually the exact same one (and yes, I really did get this email).

I guess I'm ready for some football...

Shoe the Shoeless

2011-09-06T17:16:00.000-06:00

There was a downside to PJ20: our car got broken into. And (presumably) whoever did it stole my running shoes.

First of all, I didn't realize theft was still a "thing." What sort of person drives to a concert venue in rural Wisconsin, then breaks into someone else's car and just takes something? Secondly, we were in VIP parking; it seems to me that VIP parking should've entitled us to certain things, not having our vehicle broken into among them. Thirdly, in addition to the shoes the thief stole my iPhone charger, my headphones, and one of our three bags of snack food. Pearl Jam Heather and I decided that the thief was a long-distance runner who'd left their shoes behind and forgotten to charge their Apple product who needed carbohydrates for later on. It's the best we could do--but what other possible explanation is there?

People. They're the worst.

PJ20: The Setlists

2011-09-05T21:04:00.000-06:00

This was a special weekend in rural Wisconsin, a chance for me, Sherkin, Pearl Jam Heather, and 30,000 others just like us to reaffirm our love for our favourite band. I've slept twelve hours since Friday morning; I'm also sick, so I'm just posting Pearl Jam's setlists for the time being (and get a load of night one!). I'll have more thoughts later in the week. Bold denotes songs I'd never heard live before. And there were lots of those.

Saturday

Set:

Release (this was stunning; it would've been the highlight of the entire weekend if not for...well, read on)
Arms Aloft [Joe Strummer & the Mescalaros]
Do the Evolution
Got Some
In My Tree ("album version")
Faithfull
Who You Are
Push Me Pull Me
Setting Forth [Eddie Vedder] (this song's from the Into the Wild soundtrack; Pearl Jam had never played it before Saturday)
Not for You (with Julian Casablancas)
In the Moonlight (with Josh Homme). I think this was the song's live debut.
Deep
Help Help (!)
Breath (!!!)
Education (with Liam Finn)
Once
State of Love and Trust (with Dhani Harrison--yup, that's George's son--on guitar)
Better Man

Save it for Later [The English Beat] (this was the best version of "Better Man" I've heard; Mike McCready owned this song, which isn't something you'd typically say about "Better Man")

Wasted Reprise

Life Wasted

1st Encore:

Rearviewmirror

Then came The Moment: Eddie welcomed Chris Cornell to the stage. What ensued was...well, check it out:

STARDOG CHAMPION [Mother Love Bone] (with Chris Cornell on vocals). This was the highlight of the weekend...and that's including what happened next.
SAY HELLO 2 HEAVEN [Temple of the Dog]
REACH DOWN [Temple of the Dog]
HUNGER STRIKE [Temple of the Dog]. There are no words. Moving on.
LOVE REIGN O'ER ME [The Who] (how's that for a follow-up?!)
Porch

2nd Encore:

Kick Out The Jams [The MC5] (with Mark Arm and Steve Turner)

Again, that was night one. There was still another to go.

Sunday

Set:

Wash (!)
The Fixer
Severed Hand
All Night
Given to Fly (this song should absolutely be played at every Pearl Jam concert)
Pilate
Love Boat Captain
Habit (with Liam Finn) (Three words. The first is Matt; the third is Cameron; the second's a swear word.)
Even Flow
Daughter

It's OK [Dead Moon]

Leatherman
Red Mosquito (with Julian Casablancas)
Satan's Bed (I'd heard this before, at the legendary State College show back in 2003, but this was my first time hearing it "properly")
Small Town
Unthought Known
A New World [X] (with John Doe!)
Black
Jeremy

1st Encore:

new song (which Eddie claimed to have written earlier in the day; it was nice, albeit brief)
Just Breathe
Nothingman
No Way
Public Image [Public Image Limited]
Smile (with Glen Hansard)
Spin the Black Circle (which ended with Mike McCready, for no apparent reason, running five laps around the stage)

2nd Encore, and here we go again:

HUNGER STRIKE [Temple of the Dog]
CALL ME A DOG [Temple of the Dog]
ALL NIGHT THING [Temple of The Dog] (sidenote: are you kidding me?????)
REACH DOWN [Temple of the Dog]
Sonic Reducer [Dead Boys] (with Mark Arm and Steve Turner)

3rd Encore (Pearl Jam bumped the rest of the day's performers up by half-an-hour so they could play even longer...and you wonder why we love this band so much?):

Alive
Rockin' in the Free World [Neil Young] (with all the other performers, minus Queens of the Stone Age, joining Pearl Jam on stage)
Yellow Ledbetter

The Star-Spangled Banner

Like I said: this was a special weekend. More to come.

Wisconsin Ho! (Subtitled: Off He Goes)

2011-09-02T17:39:00.000-06:00

I caved: tonight at midnight I'm off to Milwaukee and Pearl Jam's twentieth anniversary destination festival at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin. As of Monday I wasn't going; twenty-four hours later I was, and for the grand total of less than $400. No, seriously: $400 for everything, including flights, accommodation, rental car, and tickets to two nights of Pearl Jam, the Strokes, Queens of the Stone Age, Mudhoney, John Doe, Glen Hansard, and Liam Finn...among others. It's shaping up to be a memorable weekend, and that's before mentioning that legions of Pearl Jam fans will be descending on East Troy for the occasion. I can't even pretend to know what we'll hear over the course of the two nights--but "Crown of Thorns," the Mother Love Bone song that Pearl Jam occasionally covers, is probably a given, and that would be special.

I'll hazard a guess that "Long Road" will open tomorrow night--which, again, would be pretty special, not to mention topical ("All the friends and family, all the memories rolling 'round, 'round, 'round"). Dispatches from Wisconsin to follow! I've got a redeye to catch.

Huh

2011-08-30T16:25:00.001-06:00

Not that there's ever a bad time for a good Wayne's World reference...but why would I have posted it today?

Twenty Since Ten

2011-08-27T20:37:00.000-06:00

Ten came out twenty years ago today. It's not my favourite Pearl Jam album--that's still Yield, followed by Backspacer and No Code--but it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Ten changed my life, and that things might've turned out a lot differently if I hadn't stumbled across the "Jeremy" video one day in February 1998. I bought Ten on March 17 of that year; my initial response was muted, but just when I was about to give up on Pearl Jam "Black" and "Garden" revealed themselves to me and things haven't been the same since. It's amazing that it's been twenty years--two decades!--since Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Nirvana helped change popular music. And while I was late to the party, I'm glad I've got to be around for the last twelve of those.

Hey, speaking of Pearl Jam: have I mentioned my forthcoming mini-tour? If this were still 2005 there's no way I'd be missing next weekend's twentieth anniversary festival in East Troy, WI...but still, five shows at the front end of travel season's no small feat:

September 11: Toronto
September 12: Toronto
September 14: Ottawa (this one's still not 100% confirmed)
September 21: Calgary
September 23: Edmonton

If all goes according to plan, Edmonton will be my thirtieth Pearl Jam concert. Thirty! I wonder if I could've imagined that back in 1991?

Kansas City Royals 9, Toronto Blue Jays 6

2011-08-25T21:10:00.002-06:00

There was a time--a year and two months, actually--when I'd seen more Kansas City Royals games than Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Maple Leafs, Minnesota Vikings, and Manchester United games combined. The Royals played the Minnesota Twins in my first Major League Baseball game--which, through the power of the interwebs, I've discovered was played on Friday, August 4, 1989. The Twins won 5-1; the highlight was Gene Larkin's three-run homer, although retrospectively having two future hall-of-famers (George Brett and Kirby Puckett) on the same field was pretty special.

I'd imagine we stayed till the end, since we seldom leave games early. But we couldn't help ourselves tonight, and bolted partway through the eighth inning of a game in which the Blue Jays made Jeff Francis look like Roy Halladay. This was my sixth Jays game this year; they're 2-4 when I'm in attendance, even though Jose Bautista's hit four home runs in those six games. Is the Curse of the Steve-o resurrecting itself? We'll have a better idea after tomorrow night against Tampa.

Pearl Jam at Jones Beach: "Daughter"/"It's OK"

2011-08-24T15:15:00.000-06:00

The Pearl Jam concerts I saw at the former Jones Beach Amphitheatre in August 2000 weren't classics, but they had their moments--particularly this version of "Daughter" from night two that climaxed with the famous (at least among Pearl Jam fans) "It's OK" tag. It's hard to explain what a powerful moment this was--it was less than two months after Roskilde, when nine Pearl Jam fans died in a crowd surge during "Daughter"--but it's one of the few times when rock n' roll music's actually moved me to tears. Savour it! This happened eleven years ago today (thanks to silentmachine for the rip from Touring Band 2000).

And We'll Change the World

2011-08-23T13:12:00.000-06:00

I was never Jack Layton's biggest fan--this is neither the forum nor the time for that particular discussion--but the late leader of the New Democratic Party obviously meant an awful lot to his supporters. The scenes at Toronto's City Hall that sprung up after Layton died yesterday morning are both moving and inspiring. At the risk of being too precious (and presumably offending Christie Blanchford), it's one of the few times in my life I've felt genuinely inspired by Canadian politics. Hopefully they had a similar effect on others, as well.

Walking the Long Road

2011-08-21T12:10:00.000-06:00

Greetings from Toronto, where I'll be stationed for the next eight days. I'm spending the rest of today recovering from J What's bachelor party--a.k.a. Jeff's Hysteria, for what would be obvious reasons if you were there--but first I'm pausing to remember a rather significant personal milestone: ten years ago today I moved away from Thunder Bay, from my hometown and from the house in which I'd lived for fourteen years, to start a new life in Kingston and beyond. Above all, I remember sitting on my bed and staring at the four walls of the bedroom that'd been mine since 1987, then getting up, walking out, and not looking back (and forgetting to sign the closet). I remember driving away from the house and vowing never to return (I did eventually, but not for another four years). Later that day I left my electric guitar on a train; it never reappeared, making it by far the most expensive thing I've ever lost. (Not to mention the most improbable. Seriously: who leaves an electric guitar on a train??) In fairness, my mind was elsewhere that day; when I arrived at our Johnson Street house that afternoon I was arriving at my new permanent address (my parents were leaving Thunder Bay for their truncated stay in New Jersey). Ten years ago today. It's been a helluva ride ever since.

Soundgarden in Toronto: Knights of the Soundtable Ride Again

2011-08-18T16:06:00.001-06:00

Last month ended with an all-time pantheon concert, but it started with the realization of what was arguably my ultimate rock n' roll fantasy: seeing Soundgarden. Pearl Jam in Thunder Bay was a fantasy insomuch as, say, a date with Angelina Jolie's a fantasy; a Soundgarden reunion was at least plausible as long as its four members were still living. I was too young for Soundgarden their first time around; they'd already broken up by the time I discovered that there was more to them than "Black Hole Sun." And while there was never an indication of a reunion being imminent, the faint chance of it someday occurring--the possibility that I'd one day see Soundgarden--made the fantasy a lot more real, and therefore meaningful, than Pearl Jam in my hometown.

And then, suddenly, the reunion happened. The first indication that something might be afoot came in March 2009, when three of Soundgarden's four members joined Tad Doyle on stage in Seattle and performed a trio of Soundgarden songs (Chris Cornell, who was absent, later admitted to wishing he'd been there, all the while leaving the door open on a possible full-blown reunion). Then, of course, came Cornell's infamous announcement over Twiter, "The 12 year break is over & school is back in session. Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!" Knights of the Soundtable was the name of Soundgarden's long-dormant fan club; apparently Cornell's intention was simply to announce its revival, as well as to affirm Soundgarden's commitment to its musical legacy. Pretty much everyone took it to mean that Soundgarden was back together; the reunion shows that followed, including a headlining slot at Lollapalooza, were a direct result of Cornell's tweet.

I failed to get tickets for club shows in Seattle and Chicago, while a planned trip to Lollapalooza fell through. And as talk of future tours petered out--in February Soundgarden announced its goal for 2011 was to make a new record--I was starting to worry that I'd missed my opportunity. So when the tour announcement came, and when I saw the word "Toronto" and realized that Soundgarden would be in Toronto the Saturday of a long weekend I went numb. Could this be happening? The fan club presale (and yes, I'm a member of the new Knights of the Soundtable) was the following week; I suffered through almost an hour of server crashes (Soundgarden was evidently using Pearl Jam's Ten Club servers), then finally got through and...I got Soundgarden tickets.

I. Got Soundgarden tickets.

I was going to see Soundgarden. It was like being back in the Fort William Gardens vestibule and hearing Eddie Vedder's voice floating in from behind the closed doors. Understand, this is a band that once meant almost as much to me as Pearl Jam or the Smashing Pumpkins. The fact that I'd now be seeing them? It was almost too much.

I was going to see Soundgarden.

Fast-forward to Saturday, July 2. (I won't numb you with details of the anticipation period, save that "you're seeing Soundgarden next weekend" was a great motivator during the Ride to Conquer Cancer. Besides, after thirteen-some-odd years, what was another two months?) The day started promisingly, with Roy Halladay's return to Toronto, a game that also featured a Jose Bautista bomb off Windows Restaurant and Jon Rauch and John Farrell's tussel at home plate. We then schlepped out to the Molson Amphitheatre--I still hate that venue, by the way--and went through the ~~birth~~ ritual of acquiring our fan club tickets. Much of what I'll remember about the evening is seeing the paraphernalia of the concert-going experience--a ticket stub, a wristband, a t-shirt--with the word "SOUNDGARDEN" stamped on them. It all seemed too unreal; indeed, milling around the Molson Amphitheatre's floor, which holds a thousand but feels about half that size, I was almost overwhelmed by the occasion ("I'm borderline hyperventalating," I told Pearl Jam Heather, and it was true). The wait was excruciating. Coheed and Cambria delivered a loud opening set--the bizzare arrest and subsequent dismissal of bassist Michael Todd happened eight days later--but I barely noticed. I was about to see Soundgarden; no one other than the Who was going to distract me. (Imagine that concert, by the way? The Who and Soundgarden? Oh, but I digress.)

The Moment, when it finally arrived, was predictably understated. Matt Cameron came out first; I don't remember the next few seconds, save that an incoherent "YEEEAAAHHH!!!" escaped from someplace deep within me. I was so overcome that I don't remember much about "Black Rain," which will forever have the distinction of being the first Soundgarden song I heard live. (In retrospect, "Black Rain" was an odd opener. It's not the greatest song by any means, but the actual setlist was irrelevant; as I wrote the following day, Soundgarden could've literally played two hours of Pink Floyd covers and I'd still be telling you it was the best thing ever.) It was followed by "Searching With My Good Eye Closed," which is the one song I was dying to hear, and by the end of it I was hoarse (Cornell nailed the "to the sky" bit at the end, which is all I could've asked). It was me at a Soundgarden concert; what else would you expect?

Given the circumstances, it's difficult to isolate any single highlight. Hearing "Rusty Cage" and (especially) "Jesus Christ Pose" was surreal; those two songs helped define my last year of high school (I used to listen to them on repeat every morning on my way to the gym). I was happy to hear the two Louder Than Love songs, especially "Gun" (which was the sonic equivalent of an elephant stampede). I wish we'd gotten more of Ultramega OK, but the one Ultramega song we got, "Beyond the Wheel," was stunning (I'd heard the excellent version from last year's Nudedragons show, but this one topped it; afterwards I exchanged the sort of dumbfounded "did-that-just-happen?!!" expressions with the guy next to me that tell you something special's unfolding). Even "Black Hole Sun" was good.

Cornell was in rare form. He has a mixed reputation as a live performer; few would argue that his voice in full throttle is one of rock music's weapons of mass destruction, but he's prone to missing some of the high notes. Not so here: every one was nailed to the wall. Matt Cameron was a machine behind the drum kit. He's honed his live chops through thirteen (!) years as Pearl Jam's drummer, but hearing him play Soundgarden's songs (especially "Jesus Christ Pose" and "Like Suicide") felt like coming home. Kim Thayil was a statue on stage right, while Ben Shephard skulked like an angry gorilla dressed entirely in black. Soundgarden's members aren't necessarily the most dynamic performers, but the sound they create is (to borrow their own expression) total f*****g godhead.

Again, I'm not pretending to be objective here: this concert simply meant too much to me. I think it was great--I've seen enough shows to distinguish the great from the merely excellent--but it really is hard to say. I'm thankful for having had this opportunity, for getting to spend a couple hours with a band whose music's meant so much to me for such a long time. I don't know if I'll get another one; indeed, four weeks later Soundgarden played Calgary of all places, but I was already out east in search of the Claw. And so I'll treasure those two hours I spent with Soundgarden on July 2--two more hours than I ever dreamed I'd spend with them, two hours of a fantasy fulfilled.

31-for-31

2011-08-16T11:25:00.013-06:00

The list (with five new items in green):

Big Ticket Item

Shit.

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

Run a 10k in under 1:08:49.45
Run a half-marathon
Read Running by John Stanton
Consistently benchpress 100 lbs.
Ski more than once
~~Golf more than never~~ DONE!
Become PADI certified
Eat more healthily; eat more, period

Money (That's What I Want)

Get a firm grip on my finances
Learn about my investments
Read The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton

Arts and Crafts

Make time to write at least three times a week
Get published
Read Charles Dickens
Be in a band
Practice the guitar at least three times a week
Re-watch the original Star Wars trilogy
Listen to Jesus Christ Superstar on Good Friday
Learn all the words to "It's the End of the World As We Know It (I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M.

A Community of My Own

Volunteer
~~Do a fundraiser~~ DONE!
Keep on reducing my carbon footprint
Get a library card

Apropos of Nothing

~~Open my mail as soon as I get it~~ DONE!
~~Learn how to leave my phone in my pocket~~ DONE!
Catch up on my wedding gift giving
~~Reach Air Canada's Top Tier Program~~ DONE!
Apply for a British passport
Determine once and for all whether I'm actually Jewish

And Above All...

On August 15, 2012, look back at being thirty-one and say, with complete confidence, that it was better than being thirty.

I've got a feeling thirty-one is going to be a good year. (Get it? Sort of?) Let's go!

(Updated December 26, 2011)

30-for-30: Final Tally

2011-08-15T11:39:00.000-06:00

The list:

Big Ticket Items

~~Continue working towards good mental health~~
~~Meet with a financial planner; come up with a concrete plan of getting me completely out of debt by January 1, 2012~~
~~Calculate, then reduce and/or offset my carbon footprint~~. This item is a work in progress and will reappear (albeit in modified form) on 31-for-31, but I've also made strides...international travel notwithstanding.
~~Eat more healthily~~. So sayeth Small n' Bald.
~~Learn Spanish~~
~~See Soundgarden~~
? Whatever it was, it didn't happen. Yet.

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

Climb the stairs at McHugh Bluff Park 130 times. I climbed the stairs at McHugh Bluff Park a total of fifteen times. I hated this item.
Benchpress 135lbs
~~Take a Running Room course~~ Done twice, actually!
Become PADI certified. Still in progress
Get back into golf
Determine if I'm actually Jewish. Still in progress; I'll keep you posted, obviously.

Arts and Crafts

~~Get back into music~~
~~Get into theatre~~
Watch one movie a week. I was on track until March, then fell off the pace
Get a professional writing gig. I got one, but haven't yet done anything with it.

A Community of My Own

~~Explore Calgary~~
~~Have a picnic on Lac Des Arcs~~
~~Volunteer~~
~~Do a fundraiser~~
~~Buy cowboy boots~~
~~Make dinner for My Fetching Blonde~~. I did well with these ones; must be the Rent reference in the title.

Tying Up Loose Ends

Learn how to use the letter "y" Have I told this story yet? About me and the letter "y"? Anyway, I'm getting better--but this is still enough of a work in progress that I can't give myself a pass.
~~Be more assertive~~. Done--provided you don't say otherwise.
~~Stop using my cellphone while driving~~
~~Phase out the E-mail address tenclubtix@hotmail.com~~
~~Start a fantasy league~~
~~Lead the Minnesota Vikings to a Super Bowl in Madden '11 franchise mode~~

And Above All...

~~On August 15, 2011, look back at being thirty and say, with complete confidence, that it was better than being twenty-nine~~

So: that's 21 tasks completed, 7 takes not completed, and 2 tasks still in progress. That makes 30-for-30 the most successful one of these lists! 31-for-31 is unveiled tomorrow.

Born to Jog

2011-08-14T16:39:00.003-06:00

Born to run? Maybe later--but for now this tramp was merely born to jog, judging from yesterday's Energizer Night Run:

1:08:49.45 Stephen Johns

So I didn't break the hour mark; I did, however, achieve my other, more "realistic" goal (to finish in under an hour and ten minutes), so I'm willing to consider yesterday's race a qualified success. Not to mention a starting off point: I'd wager one of my 31-for-31 items will be about improving my 10k time. This wasn't just my first 10k race: it was my first time running 10k, period. Next time I'll be faster.

Running Around

2011-08-13T14:25:00.000-06:00

Thus begins the running around, both figuratively and literally. In an hour I'm off to my friend's wedding in nearby Cochrane--and then I'm driving back to Calgary and down to Glenmore Reservoir for my first-ever 10k race! I'm ready to start (as it were). I wrapped up my training with a languid 3km run last night in which I learned that a, the Replacements' Pleased To Meet Me is a great running record, and b, certain pairs of boxers are best left unworn. Anyway: the race actually starts at 9:30pm, which means we're running with headlamps on our foreheads. The lights are blinding; the race sold out weeks ago, so it ought to make for an interesting spectacle. This is wedding #1 of 3 between today and September 16, by the way; congratulations, Kyle and Lisa! (And congratulations, Brian and Laura, who are getting married--finally--on Bowen Island as we speak.)