Dead Already

So the 2006 Deadpool is rapidly coming to a close and someone awfully young will have to die to cost me the crown this time around; Blossom, I'm looking at you. The unfortunate passings of James Brown, Don Knotts, and Gerald Ford have netted me 53 points compared to 16 for Cliff (Gerald Ford, Augusto Pinochet) and only seven for poor Kip (Gerald Ford). You can follow along on the original posting from last January 10th right here if you wish. I think Kim still blames me for the passing of Don Knotts, with my response being that if I had that kind of power I would have picked Madonna, not Don Knotts.

So, with the ending of one comes the start of another. I'd love to see some more entries this time around. Playing is easy - just reply in comments or e-mail me 25 famous people you think may pass from the living in 2007. Should this unfortunate incident take place we will offer our condolences to their families and award you points totaling the age they retire at from 100.

A few small rules. I will no longer warn you if you pick someone over 100. Yes, if you pick someone who is 102 and they die, you'll lose two points. You will get no points for picking someone who is already appointed to die, ie. Saddam Hussein. You will, however, earn points if you pick someone currently lying on their deathbed. You give, you take. The person must be nationally famous, so your sick Aunt Bertie isn't a suitable pick. You can not kill a person you picked and still expect points, this is immoral. However, if you kill someone those points will be awarded to your opponents AND you go to jail. Murder is bad.

Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey

It's a strange thing to go from having so much energy over the past few months that I've frequently had trouble sleeping to my current state of complete lethargy. I can't say I like it and I pray this medication takes hold and frees me from the oppressive claws of my captor. Unfortunately, part of this lack of energy is a lack of desire or ability to trip up and down the stairs to relay all I generously received from my family over Christmas. But, in the spirit of sharing, I shall attempt to recall and amend later. First, Boxing Day was relatively subdued this year. Mary and I lost our DVD player a couple weeks ago but snagged a new one for $25 at Wal-Mart along with a copy of Star Wars Episode III on DVD. I followed that up with two seasons of Charmed, some Frosty ornaments, the new Beatles 'Love' CD ($6!), and Bobby Flay's 'Grilling for Life' book I'd been wanting. Not a bad take.

And now, with thanks to my entire family:

Hand-stitched Coca-Cola comforter/blanket
The Complete Peanuts 1955-1958
The Complete Peanuts 1959-1962
Dukes of Hazzard: Season 5, ie. COY AND VANCE
Dukes of Hazzard: Season 6
Isobell Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Ballad of Broken Seas
Men's Health Subscription
Sock Monkey T-Shirt (!)
Smashed Bob No-Pants T-Shirt
Winnipeg Jets T-shirt
Blue Jeans
Hunting/Fishing Shirt
Hunting/Fishing Hat
Starbucks Christmas Blend
Meat Thermometer
Tea Leaf Steeper
Coke Signs
Dip Chillers & Dip
Entertainment Coupon Book
Spices Book
Beer Book
Authentic Coca-Cola Wooden Shipping Crate
Thomas Pigeon Autograph (Canada in the Rough)
Stuffed Penguin
Stuffed Monkey
Massive Freakin' Toblerone
Various Clothes

It was a fun, but busy, holiday for us but we managed to see almost everyone. Mary's family on the 24th, my family on the 25th, my grandparents on my mom's side in the afternoon, my grandparents on my dad's side in the evening, and my Barrie/Guelph family on the 26th. Turns out Mark's promises of a tremendous Christmas feast may have been true, all stories I received about the meal we missed were in favour of his menu and implementation. I'll try to convince him to give us the update on things from his side. Oh, and that picture up there? That's Paul's beard, which he began growing in October and decided in mid-October would remain until Christmas. If it's not gone now it will be soon, so enjoy it while you can.

So, post in comments, how was your haul?

Sick of Myself

I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday in their own little way with all things fun and pleasant to partake in. Mary and I had a busy time after leaving for the farm in the early hours of Saturday to begin our Christmas celebrations with her family. Celebrations began with family and friends coming by to partake in a bit of a jamboree - or ho down as Rob would likely call it - playing music in varying states of intoxication into the night. I had brought along a series of "winter warmers", or high alcohol dark beers, to enjoy over the weekend myself, but found myself lacking the desire to taste them. Around 10:30 I succumbed to the idea that I was coming down with something and left for bed.

Mary checked on me a few times to find I was running an intense fever with some intermittent coughing. I barely slept, but also refused to get out of bed until 11:30 the next morning, did a few things around the house, back to bed from 1:00 until 5:00 without sleeping, and then up for the Manion Christmas celebrations. By this time the fever was in and out but the cough was unbearable and bringing up traces of blood. We did midnight church and headed home to sleep, arriving at 3:30 in the morning, barely sleeping, and up at 7:30 to head to the parents.

This story could go forever.

By this morning I'd coughed enough that my back is out of alignment, my ribs are bruised, and I've pulled muscles in my neck. Against my better desires I headed to the clinic and was diagnosed with a lung infection; where it came from I have no idea. Credit to my amazing wife who has driven me everywhere, nursed me as well as possible, and finally doped me full of whiskey last night until I slept for the first time in three days. I've now let her retire early and spiked my own tea with Canadian Club's natural remedy to cough-induced insomnia.

I shall return tomorrow to regale with tales of swag acquired by gifting and my annual 5:00 Boxing Day trek and with pictures of Amish Paul. Until then, be well.

Big Fish

A week after catching up with Rob Thompson over dinner and a show Alex and I took an evening to meet up with an old colleague from our Crypto days, Dave Christensen, for the first time since May of 2005. "Back in the day" Dave's company was a fulfillment house for the products Alex and I would send out on behalf of our clients and we seemed to hit it off, and have attempted to continue regular meetings when possible since. The three of us are creative and constantly thinking, so it's fun to catch up and find out where we all are on our little projects. It's also a good reminder on how far behind Alex and I have gotten on at least one major project.

Dinner was at A Taste of Japan where I furthered my recent efforts to adapt my palate to foods I've never really enjoyed. My suggestion of Sofuto Kani Age - whole soft-shell crab battered, deep fried, and eaten whole - was denied by my colleagues in favour of six oysters and an 18-piece sashimi plate that included baby octopus, scallop skirt, salmon, tuna, surf clam, cuttlefish, and white fish. I'm happy to say I tried two of the oysters and all of the sashimi except tuna and salmon, which I'm already quite positive I don't enjoy. We all grabbed bento box dinners, I personally settled for the shrimp and vegetable tempura, chicken teriyaki, and marinated beef ribs. Adding in the fact it starts with salad, soup, and six sushi rolls, while accompanied by rice and vegetables I was freakin' full afterwards, and $50 lighter in the pocket. To drink - Asahi Black for me, sake for Alex, and a couple Sapporo for Dave.

So now it's some work and then finishing Christmas shopping.. I'm getting closer. It's odd that I continue to alternate years where I'm done shopping in October vs done shopping Christmas Eve. Go figure.

Today's Random Links
I never thought I'd find myself cheering Donald Trump..
Mac and PC get in the holiday spirit
Happy Holidays, Jack Bauer style
CNN Presents: After Jesus

End of a Hollywood Bedtime Story

So I promised a life-changing decision was on the way. Back in October of 2001 I decided to leave the mess that was CryptoLogic and work on some consulting projects from home. Things became somewhat rough until January of 2003 when I headed off to Stockholm to sign a contract to work with NetEnt, a Swedish-based gaming company. As a North American Marketing Manager I've watched the company grow from something very small to something much larger, and have lasted long enough that I was recently notified that I'm the current longest-serving employee of the shop. The opportunity there has lead me to some successes and failures, travels to London, Cannes, Las Vegas, and Montreal, and allowed me to continue getting to know many, many great people.

However, as of today, I have accepted an offer from Ingram Micro to return to the world of 9-5, Monday to Friday. I'll be serving as a Marketing Manager for them, with responsibilities I'll speak more on after my orientation on January 8th. It's a terrific opportunity, takes me out of the online marketing space, and opens me up to some great new challenges for a truly huge company. I'm completely pumped and excited about it.

Most of all, I can't wait to get out of this home office and into a real office, surrounded by real people, and doing work with a team. It's been a long time coming.

Today's Random Links
Andy McKee teaches guitar drifting.. wow..
Andy McKee's "Africa" - stunning guitar playing.
Hilarious Justin Timberlake video.. no fooling..
Ever wondered where Santa comes from? (NSFW)

Dance of The Gingerbread Men

So as Rick as stated thinks this is going to be a, “My Christmas meal is better than Rick’s dry turkey meal” post, but I decided be the better man and simply leave that one along. But I would like to post about my Christmas meal because it’s a very important time for myself and I love doing all the work it takes.

Now I should say right off the top that all this would be much harder if I didn’t have my dad their helping and my aunts and uncles adding some signature dishes. The meal on a whole is really an explanation of our family and draws from both the Italian and English sides with a little of my Ukrainian Aunt thrown in.

Now with all that out of the way I present the Christmas 2006 menu:

Antipasto Course:
- Grilled Vegetable platter with a Warm Vinaigrette
- Sliced Tomato and Mozzarella Cheese with a Basil Balsamic Dressing
- Proscuitto, Cappicolo and Parmesan Cheese Platter
- Assorted Pickles
Pasta Course:
- 2 types of Ravioli: 1. Meat 2. Three Cheese
with a Béchamel Sauce and Red Tomato Sauce
First Course:
- Cognac Chicken
- Musetto and Sauerkraut
- Cabbage Rolls
- Baby Peas with Pearl Onions and Ham
- Carrot Casserole
- Roasted Buttercup Squash
Second Course:
- Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Proscuitto and Spinach Stuffing
and a Cranberry Zinfandel Glaze
- Whipped Yukon Gold Potatoes
- Romano Beans in a Red Sauce
- Mixed Greens Salad with a light Vinaigrette
Dessert:
- Berry English Triffle
- Christmas Cookies
- Coffee, Tea, and Espresso

By the end of all this I expect people to not be able to move. My dad and I will start cooking on Friday and won’t stop till around 1pm on Monday. Everything is made fresh including the pasta and all the sauces. It’s a lot of work, but always worth it.

Anyways hope everyone has a great Christmas this year!

The Snow Came Down

Christmas Time is Here

Everyone ready for Christmas? The day arrives in only one week and I'm happy to say that since my frazzled announcement of my lack of preparations I now have a decorated house, a fat tree, and even most of my gifts are purchased. Oddly, in the midst of Christmas preparations my parents held a belated birthday party for my grandmother at their house last night that went over well. I've been kicking myself for having lapsed into a cooking doldrum as of late, relying on recipes I know or combinations that are familiar to me rather than challenging myself as I once did. Last night presented an opportunity to create a couple things and borrow one off Tyler Florence, stepping out of the comfort zone to create things that weren't easy.

I started with what I dubbed "White Trash Bean Dip", which was essentially a dip made of white kidney beans, garlic, chipotle peppers, olive oil, and a mix of spices. I took the cheap way out in one area - providing Scoops chips rather than creating my own - but people seemed to enjoy it. The harder part came with the Espresso Pots de Creme with Moroccan Chocolate and Pistachio Biscotti I did for dessert. I admit I made the Pots de Creme directly out of a recipe in my Tyler Florence cookbook, but technique requirements still made it hard. When it was done there was only enough to plate up so I actually served it without having sampled it, but appearance wise it seemed to be missing something. So I quickly melted some semi-sweet blocks of chocolate and mixed it in a pot of simmering whipping cream, then threw in a small amount of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ancho chili powder. Alongside a Pistachio Biscotti it seemed to be popular.

I try to make myself sound smart now as I'm sure Mark will, over the course of the next week, discuss his Christmas dinner plans and put me to shame. Mr Maranzan takes Christmas dinner very seriously and the one time I did have a chance to attend their dinner it was something to behold. Hopefully he'll share his intentions soon, although I still argue a Christmas dinner with no pork tenderloin isn't worth my time. :P

Alas now I go to get some work done, record the third Christmas podcast, get a 5k run in, and then make a major life-altering decision I'll likely discuss here shortly. All the best of the season!

Today's Random Links
Some dude from 'Grey's Anatomy' was on 'Saved by the Bell'
The Lonely Tree: The Story of A Charlie Brown Christmas
Ms Dewey went and got naked!... nice one, Microsoft. (NSFW)
Time magazine's lame "Person of the Year" is You...
... but don't tell Chrysler and their recent ad! Ha!

Faithful Stranger

I was invited out to catch Rik Emmett of Triumph last night by an old boss and friend, Robert Thompson. Well, he's a long-time friend, not an old one. You know what I mean. Alexander Bosika, he of Mobile Monday, joined us for the evening. Turns out that the former Triumph lead is doing the blues/americana style thing with a partner, Dave Dunlop, and their tour took them to Emmett's old neighbourhood and the Hugh's Room bar and restaurant out by Bloor and Dundas. First, Hugh's Room.

This venue is actually quite good, to my surprise, as I hadn't even heard of it before. They've had a great string of talent coming through, and I'll be heading back on March 30th to catch Kelly Joe Phelps with the guys. You buy a ticket and it gets you a seat at a dinner table, at which point you can eat and drink some good eats and drinks while you enjoy the show. An interesting concept, but certainly a comfortable way to take in some light rock music.

The show - very good! I'm very unfamiliar with Triumph or Rik Emmett so it was all pretty much new to me. I did recognize a few of the tracks, and they did a cover of All Along the Watchtower that I enjoyed. Both slugged away on acoustic guitars and are quite accomplished, bantering between songs and sets and generally having a good time. Robert was kind enough to make the evening on him so I utilized the money I'd saved to pick up their Strung-Out Troubadours album and a bootleg of a show last month in Philadelphia, which I'm listening to now. Good stuff.

I'm not sure if any of you folks are blues fans, but if so I encourage you to give me the heads-up so you can join us for Kelly Joe Phelps. He's likely the best, or one of the best, slide guitarists alive today and well worth seeing.

Today's Random Links
AdFreak’s 10 Most Wanted for 2006 (top 10 stories)
The Rik Emmett Network
Hugh's Room Website
Vote for Rory!

Blue Christmas

I guess it wouldn't be Christmas without some sort of religious controversy, right? That latest, if you hadn't heard, is the SeaTac airport in Seattle removing their Christmas trees after a complaint by a Rabbi. Over the weekend a Rabbi on his travels back through SeaTac noticed many Christmas trees and an absence of menorah, and subsequently issued a complaint to the airport. The Airport Director, feeling it would be impossible to appease all religions, decided the best course of action wasn't adding menorah but removing trees.

In answer to that action many agents at ticketing counters began bringing their own small trees to the airport and putting them up. The Rabbi announced he would not seek legal action against the airport and that he hadn't asked for the trees to come down but for the menorah to be added. In the face of much negative publicity, the airport has placed all the trees back up as of this morning. They have promised, however, that they will be discussing holiday decorating with representatives of local religions to determine their best options for 2007.

So I open the forum to the readers here in discussing what the best solution is. I have been verbal in my opposition of removing Christianity from Christmas as, no matter what society wants to say, it is a Christian holiday. But this is a bit different; not an attempt to remove Christ from Christmas, but an attempt to appease everyone's religious beliefs in public spaces. I'm interested in some thoughts as there's been some religious banter on the Zonk recently, and thus this issue becomes timely in a way. Is there a way to please everyone? Does the process of not putting up any symbolism of any kind not violate those with religious beliefs just as much as putting it up violates those with no belief system?

Head Home

So how did everyone spend their weekend? I noticed during my travels that the news of impending Christmas appears to have hit everyone as driving was a chore, and going near a store that sells any sort of product whatsoever was death. I'm being teased by friends and family as I'm well known as a fan of Christmas, and someone who gets his shopping done very early. Typically most of my gifts are bought at the crack of November. Sadly, this year I've bought two things total. Not good.

Saturday brought the third opportunity to meet up with Kip and Shaz for the last time. We tried out Rebekha Sushi here in Bolton, the aforementioned site of Mark's $10 wasabi bet last week. I do get a good feeling about this place, if they're able to weather the storm that is the Bolton valley. It seems that businesses that can get out of their first year down there can succeed long term, but that first year can be killer. Quality was good, freshness adequate. We all tried some different things, including three orders of Dynamite Rolls amongst five people, and Kip even secured some of the private stash of kimchee from the back. Again, great to see them, and I have a feeling (and hope) that the next time our paths cross it will be in Milwaukee.

Yesterday afternoon into the night was my first Decemberfest, an annual meeting of the Toronto beer-reviewing elite at Doug Shoemaker's house. It's been a fun ride getting to know these guys and learning the craft of defining a palate and tasting great beer. This event in particular is great because these folks bring some of their best stuff for others to try, giving me the opportunity to sample some really hard-to-find and rare treats. As a newbie I was hard-pressed to track down something worthwhile, but I did provide two bottles of the 2006 Neustadt Springs Big Dog Beaujolais Porter and the reformulated Neustadt Springs 10w30, both of which were well received. Some time over the next week you'll be able to check out what I tried on RateBeer page. 33 samples in total, 31 new ratings. That's definitely a lot of beer, as you can see from our picture of the day.

Jason Lee (yes, that Jason Lee) and I share a new addiction, aside from great classic rock. We're both hooked on Midlake and their album The Trials of Van Occupanther. Check out some samples on their MySpace if you're up for it, or watch all nine of their videos on YouTube. Good stuff.

Today's Random Links
Excellent, inspiring human interest story, courtesy of Paul.
The 50 Greatest Commercials of the ’80s

Forever Blue

So Mark covered Friday's extravaganza, but left the beer talk to me. Presumably this is because he enjoys pretending I'm the drunk and he's the "good" one. I'll bite. We did each get two bottles of the new Fuller's Vintage 2006, one of which I'll drink near Christmas, the other I'll cellar for five years or so. I might even pick up a couple more, but at $7 they're not cheap. Back home we cracked our Chimay gift packs, washed our new Chimay glasses, and hit the trio of Chimay Red, White, and Blue. The first two were similar, both offering peppery plums with coriander and orange peel, although the white delivered significantly more hops and alcohol in a lighter colour. The blue was by far the best, and once allowed to warm, just amazing. Lots of the peppery plums with sweet malts, some woodsy characters, and lots of yeast. The aftertaste was like caramel. So good, I can see why they're so revered. Those of you unfamiliar with Chimay need click here for some info on the Belgian Trappist monks who have brewed this since 1850, dedicating their lives to God and to "gladdening the heart of man."

Sunday the entire family headed down to Toronto with Kim, my Dad, and I catching the Maple Leafs "Skills" Competition. Thank God for Chad Kilger! You know you're in bad when Wade Belak is one of the two defencemen you've picked for the 3-on-1 challenge. Afterwards we met up with Mom and Jeff to try out the new Mill Street Brewpub in the Distillery District. I'd never been to that district before and I can tell you I'll be back. It's such an interesting little place with its Victorian architecture and cobblestone roads, I'm sure it's a great walk in the summer months. Mill Street opened their new Brewpub in October after they outgrew their brewery and moved it, placing the restaurant in the old brewery. The food is somewhat high-end pub, and the atmosphere is great inside. Our service, headed by waiter Dima, was tremendous. Best of all for Mill Street fans is that they've gone beyond their four traditional offerings (the excellent Tankhouse Ale and Coffee Porter; the subpar Organic Lager and Stock Ale) to offer special draught selections. Between the five of us we sampled the Cobblestone Stout, India Pale Ale, ESB, Oktoberfest Marzen, Pilsner, and Belgian Wit. All received varying levels of approval, along with the food. Three of us - myself included - had the Steak and Stilton Pie with the others having the Fish & Chips and the entertainingly named Sausage Grinder. The Grinder was the only failing grade, but the Pie was great. I'll definitely be back!

Christmas is sneaking up! I have nothing purchased, no tree, no decorations, and no cards sent out. Man...

Today's Random Links
Chrysler made some fake "Folgers" style ads: 1 and 2
Insane virtual city map site! (Thanks, Rob)

Ten Dollars? Worth Every Penny

So Rick’s lack of a post regarding our weekend adventures saddens me greatly. I would think that it was a day worthy of Internet, but alas I must be wrong. Any ways I guess I will have to pick of the slack, as he is no doubt still recovering from the hole in his stomach.

So how many of you are done your Christmas Shopping? I for one hadn’t accomplished any so Rick and I decided to combine our planned Abbey beer night, last Friday, with a trip to Square One is Mississauga. We started the day off at West 50 so that I could sample all they had to offer and Rick could give them another chance to wow him. I decided to try the spring roll sampler that Rick mentioned in the last post along with a small house salad and Asian Ginger Dressing. Rick went straight for the Cuban Roasted Pork Sandwich and the soup of the day, Pork Stroganoff. To wash it down I had a Blackthorn Cider and Rick had a good old King Pilsner.

I would have to say and I think Rick would agree that with the exception of the service we were rather pleased with the lunch. Our waitress wasn’t the brightest it seems. First she tried to convince Rick that he wanted Fries and not the soup. Then she tried to tell me that I ordered only the veggie spring rolls and not the sampler. Oh well at least the food was good.

So after lunch we headed over to Starbucks to have peppermint mochas and then on to Square One. Now this was my first visit to the pride of Mississauga and I have to say I wasn’t really impressed. Now I don’t like most malls, but this one just made no sense. It seemed that hallways started in the most random places and ended whenever they felt like. Neither one of us managed to get any shopping done and left feeling like we would have had better luck if we has just stayed at home. The only good point was that we found a store that was selling G.I. Joes for $2.99. SCORE!

From there we made a quick stop over in Brampton so Rick could visit his favorite LCBO and stock up on the winter seasonal brews. We both grabbed a few bottles of the Fullers Vintage, which I can’t wait to sample.

Now this was a full day already, but the best was still yet to come. When we got back to Bolton we grabbed Mary and decided to try the new sushi restaurant that had opened in the Valley. Now the service was a little slow, but the food was excellent. Mary and I both had sample platters of sushi to which I added some Red Snapper sashimi and Mary a side of crab sushi. Rick had a veggie sushi platter and a spider roll, which is made with soft crab and was delicious. All our meals came with miso soup and a small salad with Asian ginger dressing. The food was well received and tasted great. Mary had a bit of a hard time getting used to the hand rolls and eating raw fish, but I think she still enjoyed it all. At the end of dinner I decided it was time to write the next chapter in the $10 bet and promptly challenged Rick to eat the large pile of wasabi on his plate. Not being one to back down he stuck his chopstick in the pile and dropped it in his mouth. Not wanted to be shown up I grabbed the pile on my plate and also ate it at which point Rick gulped down a second pile. For the next 3 minutes we both sat there and laughed/cried as steam shot out our ears and flame out our mouth. It probably wasn’t the smartest thing either one of us had done, but it was definitely another life experience to add to the list.

But anyways the bet was won and I handed over the $10 bucks so the ball is now in Rick’s court and I wait for my challenge. We headed to D-Q after that for some ice cream to stop the burning before back to Rick’s for a taste of Belgium.

I’ll let Rick fill you in on the beers of the evening. He’s better at that than I am…