Hello New Day

That marketing plan for that new initiative I mentioned here quite some time ago was finally accepted last night, so it's now full-steam ahead with my first self-created marketing plan here. Here's hoping to success.

Tomorrow begins the 2007 contender for "Weekend of the Year", taken in 2006 by Paul, Mark, and myself's first day of Steve's Music, MEC, and Waterloo Dark at Big Daddy's on the patio. While that was good tomorrow shall start with another trip to Authentic Mexican Restaurant followed by a Kelly Joe Phelps show at Hugh's Room. Phelps is arguably the world's top slide guitar player and is sure to put on a great show. Tomorrow we're hitting Anna Olson's bakery in Port Dalhousie on our way to Buffalo for a trip to Guitar Center, some CD stores, Consumer's Beverage, Premier Gourmet, and I imagine the Walden Galleria, although that's not been decided. I plan to return with the new Roger Clyne, Son Volt, and Josh Rouse CDs as well a trunk full of beer unattainable in our Government monopoly of Ontario. Sunday is guitar day as Mark must return to work, and with about three new songs in various states of undress it will be an effort to dress them up and take them out so we can actually do something with Blues for Pablo's empty MySpace page.

Sadly, the best weekend of 2007 is getting off to a slow start - Anna Olson will not be in the bakery. This makes Mark and I sad, and like most things, Paul indifferent.

Your Name On A Grain of Rice

For likely over two years now my friend Elizabeth and I, along with my brother-in-law and sister, have claimed we would all go out for an authentic Mexican dinner somewhere in Toronto. Many names flew by over those years (Dos Amigos, Willow, Rancho Relaxo) but things finally fell into place on Saturday. Elizabeth and her boyfriend, Marshall, recently moved into a new place near High Park and informed us that an authentic Mexican restaurant happened to be close to their place and plans were made for Kim, Jeff, and myself to head down Saturday. Excitement!

Oddly, and somewhat funny, is the fact that the restaurant is actually called Authentic Mexican Restaurant, and can be found roughly in the area of Dundas and Keele. It was amazing! Honest, true, real Mexican food in the heart of High Park - with apologies to Kip and Shaz (and an offer to go with them when they return) it kicks Dos Amigos' arse. I started with Sope Jalisco Style - masa tortillas with chorizo, almost an open-faced taco - while my associates enjoyed Camarones o Calamares Empanizados (deep-fried shrimp), Nopal Queso Fundido (cactus cheese dip), and Guacamole Molcajete con Totopos y Salsa (umm.. guacamole). Jeff and I both settled on the Frijoladas, billed as "corn tortilla rolls dipped in a bean sauce and stuffed with cheese - your choice of chicken, beef, chorizo or vegetarian, served with rice and salad." Two Agua de Orchata (rice and cinnamon drink) were so good I immediately went home and bought rice milk to make it myself.

Check out the site and menu here, and definitely make the trip if you're into Mexican food. Good stuff!

As I see it...

Not sure why I'm going to respond to this, but I'm not quite awake yet this morning and prone to stupid decisions.

The funny thing about politics is that no matter what a party does those who support them will approve and those that were against them from the start will cry bloody murder. So while I can understand Rick's comments about the country being back on track and John's continued mockery of anything Harper does, I want to point out a few things that I've noticed.

1. The recently released budget, like most decisions out of the government, was politically motivated. As most experts (yes Rick even your conservative loving ones over at the SUN) noted the recent budget was very un-conservative in nature. In fact it was very far away from the campaign promises that Harper made upon election. Now can I blame them for this? The Liberals certainly wouldn't have done any different and its not like they did anything wrong, but the truth is they have left this country very close to running a deficit for the next few years while gaining the approval of the masses for the sake of winning the next election. Which brings me to point two.

2. When it comes down to it all politicians’ care about is keeping their jobs. Yes folks that’s right when it comes down to it they don’t actually care one ounce about running this country unless the decisions made keep them in the life of comfort. Harsh words maybe, but explain to me why we see a Conservative party acting liberal, a Liberal party opposing good decisions, and the Bloc Quebecios doing anything anyone wants along as they get money for Quebec. At the end of the day all decisions are made with the hope that they will get elected to one more term and live it up in Ottawa.

3. Finally at the end of the day live will go on as normal. Yes that’s right a lot of what the party in power does will have little to no effect on our quality of life. Over the years of being a conscious voter I have noticed one underlying truth, when I wake up tomorrow nothing will have changed. Life will go on, politicians will squabble in Ottawa and as a middle class individual I will see little to no effect from it.

So to all this and all politics I have to ask one question, what do we really solve by arguing over it?

Suckerpunch

Can someone explain to me why it is that Cam Janssen's vicious hit with attempt to injure well after the play is worth the same punishment as Jordin Tootoo simply defending himself - with his glove on - from someone who was skating in with an intent to injure? Perhaps you could also let me know why nobody seems to care that Mike Modano wielded his stick like a hatchet on the same play, albeit pulling back at the last second. That said, had Tootoo been a half-foot further behind there wouldn't have been time to pull back. The NHL continues to make absolutely no sense in policing themselves at all. Colin Campbell, while seemingly friendly and a good interview, is as useless as nipples on a bull when it comes to defending the health and safety of the NHL players. Although, as noted, they don't seem to care about themselves either so maybe he's on to something.

Sorry for being MIA this week, I had my first of my major events that required my constant attention. The good news is it was extremely well-received, the higher-ups seem pleased, and all told it looks like it went off without a hitch. I think all I missed is congratulations to Cliff for besting me in the IQ test, we are now the resident geniuses at OA.com and shall always be listened to without fail. Second, House is proving me accurate in that there is nothing Harper could do to get his approval. Heck, even I can acknowledge the odd acceptable Liberal policy (although they've been a long time coming) or admonish the Conservative party for a stupid decision (selling the 407). Just admit that there is no secret agenda and that the country hasn't fallen apart, and in fact, seems to be on a proper track for the first time in... 12? 14 years?

When I Was Dumb

My age-old efforts to be a genius have, once again, been thwarted only barely. I'm a big IQ test skank and was a big fan of the FOX edition of 'Test the Nation' many moons ago where a proper IQ test is administered on the honour system over the airwaves and interweb. I suppose in theory it's to make you feel better about yourself when you're smarter than their specially selected group of surgeons, but I just like to know how smart the smart people say I am. Genius, aka the top 2% of society, falls at an IQ level of 130.

Sadly, again, I have fallen short. Even closer than before - 128. Hideous mostly because I missed three questions after reading what I thought they said instead of what they said, and two more at the end where you had to pick the puzzle piece that fit on my crappy old tube television that barely displays any detail whatsoever and is prone to fits of static. I even missed a math question I really should have had. But I suppose that's part of an IQ test, dealing well under pressure, reading properly, etc.. I accept my fate until the next test.

Incidentally, I got 100% on logic, so any opinions delivered by me on this site shall heretofore be taken as fact, as I have keen logic. If you want to try the test your own dang self visit www.cbc.ca/testthenation. Anything better than 117 should make you smarter than the averages of any in-studio groups last night.

Even When You Fall

Never in my life have I slipped and fallen in the shower - until Wednesday. I have no window coverings on my bathroom window, and it faces the street, so I have to be careful when using said shower. I tend to get in, reach around the wall and flick the light switch, then repeat to turn the light off when I'm done. It was turning if off when I lost my footing and slammed the side of my leg into the tub and, somehow, smashed my right index finger. It does appear to slowly be getting a bit better, although it still holds significant pain.

On the bright side, last night, I learned how to play guitar holding the pick between my middle finger and thumb.

Things are getting a bit messy for me here with the first of my major events coming close - Wednesday, March 21st. My attendance seems low still, but as a former IT purchaser I know a lot of these people won't decide until Monday. Still, I've booked a full day at the Mississauga Convention Centre with a fully catered lunch, a vendor fair, and seminars by Microsoft, IBM, CA, HP, Cisco, and Symantec.. Should be good times!

This weekend it's the Sportsmen's Show - anyone else heading down Sunday?

Words (Between the Lines of Age)

A cool surprise dropped in my e-mail on Friday with a note that my old friend (as in he's been a friend a long time, he's not old) Sionne was in town from Moncton and I was invited to meet up with he and our former boss, Rob, for some conversation, dinner, and drinks. About a year ago I would say I've entirely moved on from the CryptoLogic era meaning anything to me at all, and while some of our mutal friends (*cough*Alex*cough*) can't seem to let go of the CryptoGossip I've had less interest. That said, when you get three screwed-over employees of the same company in a room it becomes a great opportunity to reminisce of the good old times.

Sionne has his own blog (click his name above), although he's been lazy in updating it, and was reprimanded by many over the course of the night for that very thing. He also acknowledged being a lurker here. It's interesting to spend time with someone who reads the site because the personal stories you would normally tell in a social situation with an old friend, well, they already know them. Somewhat odd, but we weren't at a loss for things to talk about; from my poor drive-home bladder to first generation iPods to the quality control in Japanese vs American cars.

Good times with the smartest team Crypto barely had. It's amazing to think back to where that company could have been if that team had been kept together, as Rob and Sionne are two of the smartest marketers I know. Sionne and I also share the added benefit of being old OLD school Internet guys who, as he told another gent with us over the evening, "were doing search engine optimization before it was called that." Here's hoping Mr Roberts makes his way back again soon.

Visor Deluxe

I've decided to treat the goonery in the NHL with the same attitude I treat visors. Clearly the NHL doesn't care about their players; similarly, clearly the players don't care about themselves or each other. So why, I wonder, should I spend any time worrying about it? Janssen's attack on Kaberle is punished with a three-game suspension for a guy who doesn't even play and serves no purpose, and now a five-time suspension victim gets 25 games for going George Washington on a New York cherry tree. 25 games for a guy who's done similar things five times before. Let these jacka$$es kill each other, as long as the Leafs miss the playoffs I could care less about anything else in the NHL right now.

So as Kip has hinted on the Zonk I have successfully sourced out my first geocache - one that happened to have been placed by his dad. I'm not sure where it was originally placed but a message on the source indicated someone had recently moved it somewhere more difficult to find. My second attempt brought me to the same spot, so rather than look there I spread my radius out about 20 feet and tracked it down off to one side in a tree. So now I just need to get some able-bodied and like-minded gents and gals to accompany me on a hike along the Caledon trails where there are many more of these to be found. Any takers?

Blue Collar Suicide

Sunday I was able to enjoy a rare (nowadays) evening out with Kim, Jeff, and my friends at the Angry Tomato. A few people were introduced to West 50 and their unique 115 draught taps concept, and even dove head first into sampling new things. I tasked our ECHL friend, Evan, with tracking down something new for me to try. Sadly it took some time (oops) before we settled on Clancy's Amber Ale, which was as disappointing as I'd expected. But the Scotch Irish Sgt Major's IPA was a good one. I finally tried the Sweet and Spicy Thai Chicken Pizza - my first ever pizza with carrots, cucumber, and bean sprouts - and man was it nice. I wasn't at all upset that my waitress threw out my last two pieces, and thus had the kitchen make me a full new one to take home. That said, again, service was lacking there. It's to the point now where expectations are higher, and they'd best start finding a way to match the service level their manager constantly offers us (he's great) with the service we get from our wait staff.

Incidentally, another sore subject between Mark and I, is the fact that today marks the third anniversary of Todd Bertuzzi chasing Steve Moore around the ice, breaking his neck, then riding him like Seabiscuit into the ice. It's safe now to count Moore's career as over, which means Bertuzzi truly owes Moore something other than empty apologies. The NHL obviously doesn't care about their own, as noted by the lowly three-day suspension handed to Tomas Kaberle's attempted murderer, so it's up to the courts to reward Moore aptly as someone who, at age 25, saw his career end at the hands of another.

Off to the Club at Bond Head today to hopefully book my first golf tournament. It's exciting and nerve-wracking, all at once.

Honky Tonk Union

I've got two things I wanted in the past week!

First, a new pair of black 8-hole Docs. Since Kip introduced them to me somewhere during our early years I've been addicted to them, but had found them increasingly difficult to find as the years wore on and they became less inviting to the younger set. Thankfully, not only did I find a pair, but they were only $99, which makes me happy. The sales lady seemed to think I was lying when I told her I went through a pair every couple of years, wondering aloud if I "did a lot of s--t kicking" with them. Life is never boring.

Second, I finally got a new quote on a Starbucks cup! For weeks it's been #170 about stupid dancing every freaking day. Finally, today, I get the insightful wisdom of Starbucks customer Laura Gremillion:

Truth. My marriage advice has always been much simpler:

I'm still waiting for my cup.

Rick's latest addiction? Radio Paradise.

We Can't Make It Here

So, as expected, the Leafs did almost nothing at the trade deadline. Oddly, nothing was better than the something that was rumoured; chasing Bill Guerin and Curtis Joseph. So for another full year Leafs fans can look forward to their team failing at another Cup bid and taking a stab with the same ragtag group of misfits they fail with every year.

Let's look at Edmonton and Toronto, both failing and falling fast, both with checking forwards with the ability to score from time-to-time, both of whom will enter unrestricted free agency next year. The Oilers realize that they haven't won anything with Smyth and that he's asking for too much money, then quickly send him away for three 1st rounders and can attempt to resign him to a reasonable contract in the off-season. The Leafs give Tucker a four-year contract and a no-trade clause. So which GM is smarter?

The obvious winners in the deadline would be the Islanders, who were already succeeding before adding Smyth; the Sharks who add leadership and offence with Guerin and defensive prowess with Rivet; and the Thrashers who set themselves up on forward and defence going forward. That said, I stand behind my pre-season choices of Anaheim and Ottawa as the two teams likely to be head-to-head for the Cup this year. Sometimes a trade offers nothing more than a warm body, and in the case of these two teams I think they have the necessary pieces in place already. Mind you, my TML Blinders haven't arrived yet, so I'm not yet able to pretend that Ray Emery is a bad goalie. I mean, he does only have a .919 save percentage with four shutouts, clearly not ready for primetime. :rolls eyes:

It was this time last year that I solemnly vowed that, if the Leafs did not fess up that they couldn't compete and use the deadline to move their overpriced no-goodniks that I would refuse to continue blindly following in line. A year later all those players are still here, with the slight change in that they've all got no-trade clauses. Trust me, the weather's fine off the bandwagon, who's with me?

Go Sens Go!