We Wish You A Memey Christmas!

The tag read "From Nan" Merry Christmas...

What is your most enduring Christmas memory?
---Probably Christmas Eve at my own Nan's (grandmother's) house. All her kids, grandkids, and eventually great grandkids, would gather at her house to watch her open her presents. I lived in a tiny cove made up mostly of family, so after the gifts were open at nan's house, the men would make their rounds at each house for a glass of Christmas cheer, the women usually delivered last minute presents, and the kids would just play, eat and get excited about Santa.

Do you have a favourite piece of Christmas music?
---Lots. And it changes quite often. Matthew Ryan's "Drummer Boy" is a favourite for sure. I just recently discovered The Blind Boys of Alabama's great version of "Born In Bethlehem" with Mavis Staples. Great tune. Asides from that, I've always loved Auld Lang Syne.

Do you stick to the old family traditions?
----Asides from the above event that I mentioned (which I can't do anymore since I've long since moved away and my grandmother passed away this past year), there aren't many that I can really think of. We do still cook salt fish, brewis and potatoes (it's a Newfoundland thing) on Christmas Eve.
There are also some movies that have become must watches at Christmas. Notably National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and the Muppets Family Christmas.

What makes your mouth water at Christmas time?
---Turkey of course. Also soft cheesies (don't ask me why they remind me of Christmas), mixed nuts, chocolate oranges, coffee with eggnog.

How soon do you put the Christmas tree up and when do you take it down?
---It has varied, but this year we've decided to do it on the 14th. It's the day after my birthday. We decorated everything else on the first, but the tree waits. I like this idea and hope we'll keep these dates as tradition. It's usually down on New Year's Eve.

Now the gift that keeps on giving: I tag Steve, Christina, and Shannon. They are family afterall.

Tip O' The Hat

Gentle Reader tagged me, so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone here. My contribution to this meme can be addressed specifically to Steve, the rightful owner of this blog, but all others can follow the advice as well- assuming you don't already---

So here are some helpful tips from a bunch of great bloggers:

-Start Copy-


It’s very simple. When this is passed on to you, copy the whole thing, skim the list and put a * star beside those that you like. (Check out especially the * starred ones.)


Add the next number (1. 2. 3. 4. 5., etc.) and write your own blogging tip for other bloggers. Try to make your tip general.


After that, tag 10 other people. Link love some friends!

1. Look, read, and learn. -http://www.neonscent.com/

2. Be, EXCELLENT to each other. -http://www.bushmackel.com/

3. Don’t let money change ya! *-http://www.therandomforest.info/

4. Always reply to your comments. *****-http://chattiekat.com/

5. Link liberally — it keeps you and your friends afloat in the Sea of Technorati. **-http://chipsquips.com/

6. Don’t give up - persistence is fertile. -http://www.velcro-city.co.uk/

7. Give link credit where credit is due. *-http://www.sfsignal.com/

8. Pictures say a thousand words and can usually add to any post.*-http://scifichick.com/

9. Visit all the bloggers that leave comments for you - it's nice to know who is reading! *-http://stephaniesbooks.blogspot.com/

10. When commenting on others’ blogs, a few kind words go a long way. *–http://shelflifeblog.blogspot.com/

11. Post often! -http://bookmineset.blogspot.com

I tag-
Steve
Christina
Shannon
Barbara
Allison
Dale
Raidergirl
Coley Boley
Bybee
Poodlerat

White Stripes In Iqaluit

A few people have shown an interest in the White Stripes (currently the most relevant Canadian band) in Iqaluit. While I'm more than a little late, you've finally got details!

Doors opened at 7:00, so we lined up at 6. When we got there, there were about 10 teenagers in front of us, and then more teens quickly lined up behind. We were the oldest people in the first 50 people or so for sure. Debbie and I kept joking that we couldn't wait to see Whitesnake and if they didn't play "Here I Go Again" we were going to be so disappointed. Needless to say, they didn't get it.

When the doors finally opened, we quickly darted to the front and were as close as we could possibly get (and with our ears safely pressed up against the speakers). We waited through the opening act, Lucy Idlout, who started off strong but let's face it, we were only politely waiting for the White Stripes. Anyway, about 30 minutes after she had gotten off and a new stage was set up, Jack and Meg came out...

They tore into Icky Thump, a few others, and then played Jolene. I have a live version of them doing that cover at Red Rocks, and desperately wanted to hear it, so I was more than impressed. They sound amazing live, great sound, a lot of improvising on Jack's part, and a very odd dynamic between the two. It should be said, it's pretty clear that Jack is boss. He was constantly giving her instructions (holding up a finger indicating she needed to do it a little quieter, grabbing her cymbals when he wanted her to stop, and so forth). I thought it was part of the show, and maybe it still was, but when she messed up on the keyboards once, he shot her a NASTY look that seemed a little too real. However, they put the tension to good use and I think he was subtly sucking up after that- "You guys have been real good to Meg- You've made her happy, and that makes me happy." Speaking of Meg, I know she gets a lot of slack for her drumming but she had a couple fantastic moments last night. Plus she sang, "In The Cold, Cold Night" so I was pleased.

Other musical highlights-

From Icky Thump:

-300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues

- Rag & Bone

- Catch Hell Blues

- Conquest

- Effect & Cause

From Get Behind Me Satan:

- Denial Twist

- Blue Orchid

- Take, Take, Take

(but surprisingly no Doorbell)

From Elephant

- Hypnotize
- Hardest Button To Button

- The Air near My Fingers

- Ball and Biscuit

and of course, Seven Nation Army (this was a part of the encore- I don't think they would have gotten out alive without doing that one)

They also took Fell In Love With a Girl as a request from Debbie; I learned that if I point at a rockstar he'll point right back; up close that red t-shirt is slightly off-colour from his pants (Jack hasn't heard of colour-safe detergent, I guess);rock shows make me feel like I'm 20 again; and I should always accompany my wife after a show. She never goes to a concert without meeting the band. I don't know how she pulls it off. Don't get me wrong, she's not a plaster caster or anything, but she has an uncanny knack of knowing which exit they'll leave from- plus she's not shy about doing the whole autograph & picture thing. Anyway, we waited around after the show for about half an hour, when I decided it was time to go and relieve the babysitter. I knew of course that she'd be meeting them and I wouldn't, and sure enough she showed up half an hour behind me with pictures of her and the White Stripes and an autographed copy of Get Behind Me Satan. When I left initially I thought, I don't need to meet celebrities- it's not like you get a chance for any enlightening conversation- but I have to admit, seeing the pictures made me regret not sticking around. Anyway, I'm glad she got to, and regardless, the show was absolutely incredible. They've probably got a few fans for life.

Oh, and apparently Jack and Meg ate raw caribou with the local elders that day. And at the concert they were wearing polar bear tooth pendants. Enjoy the pics!

Shot, Tagged and Released...

I've decided to use this blog as my tagged blog. It's not currently being used for anything else, so it's as good a place as any...

Tagging me this time around are Sam and Gentle Reader (who'll both be sorely disappointed that I'm not nearly as interesting as the tabloids seem to suggest).

The idea for this one is:

1: Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
2: People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.
3: At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names.
4: Don't forget to leave them a comment and tell them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

So here goes nothing:

1. Despite being Canadian, I'm not into hockey. I can respect the sport, I've just never been inclined to play or watch any more than the last 10 minutes of a game. When I meet hockey fans, I'll usually break the ice (tee hee) by telling them that I'm a first cousin of Gary Roberts of the Pittsburgh Penguins. They usually ask a lot of questions, I feel silly answering them and wish I hadn't brought it up. He is a nice guy though.

2. I'm 30 years old and since I've been born, I've never had anyone in my family die. Not a grandparent, an uncle, aunt, cousin, no one. Might sound like a morbid thing to throw out there, but it sits in my mind more and more. I wonder if I'll deal with it okay. It will happen someday of course and it scares me a lot. It's starting to feel like we're defeating the law of averages. And I hope this doesn't jinx us all.

3. I've been licked by a wild polar bear. In Churchill, Manitoba my wife and I took a Tundra Buggy tour and we were licked through the mesh floor of an observation deck. (Sorry if some of you are sick of this story!)

4. I'm psyched to see the White Stripes in Iqaluit. It blows me away that they're coming here. I've been a fan for a while, but seeing them in Nunavut just makes the experience all the more cooler (tee hee).

5. I can never remember shampooing in the shower. I suspect that I end up doing it 3 or 5 times just to make sure. Or not at all.

6. I've only been out of the country three times. 1. Jamaica. 2. Hawaii 3. California. I desperately want to see Mutford, England. Until the Internet I had no idea such a place existed. But I hear they have a pretty decent marina and that's why I want to go.

7. I make jokes to mask my pain.

8. Just kidding.

7. My middle name is Kendall.

8. I was once paid to write a children's novel. I wrote three chapters, the contract ended, and I haven't looked at it since. It was about Martin Frobisher and I worked on it while I was still living in St. John's. Iqaluit if you don't know, used to be known as Frobisher Bay. Who knew?

Now the not-so-fun part:

I tag...
1. Steve
2. Shannon
3. Christina

(These are family, and they are not allowed to use Gary. I've already done that. Pbllttt!)

4. Barbara
5. Allison
6. Dale
7. Rebecca
8. Jamie Lee Curtis

Me, Me, Me, Me

Steve was nice enough to add me as a contributor, and I've been nice enough to let his blog die a slow and agonizing death from lack of postings. Alas, I've been tagged. Allison reached out and made me an offer I almost refused. My own blog is about books, writing, etc so I've tried to avoid overtly personal stuff. But I'll take advantage of my contributor status and post here...


A- Available or Single: Married. That's not an option?!

B- Best Friends: Debbie, a different Debbie, Steve

C- Cake or Pie: Pie. Apple if I have a choice. With a piece of cheddar.

D - Drink of Choice: Non alcoholic - tea and coffee (NOT decaffinated)(Alcoholic - Sleeman's cream ale)

E- Essential Item: laptop

F- Favourite Colour: red, but not to wear

G- Gummi Bears or Worms: I'm not much of a candy guy. Bears I suppose.

H- Hometown: Twillingate, Newfoundland is where I grew up. Iqaluit, Nunavut presently.

I- Indulgence: Book and tea.

J- January or February - February

K- Kids - 2

L- Life is incomplete without: music

M- Marriage Date: July 21, 2001

N- Number of Siblings: One sister, 3 years older

O- Oranges or Apples: Granny Smith apples.

P- Phobias/Fears: Money. I don't like talking about it.

Q- Favourite Quote: Being a book person, it's probably strange that I don't go in for quotes. Though there is a line from Daniel Keyes' "Flowers For Algernon" that has become my motto, "He pushes Charlie over to Gus who catches him by the throat."

R- Reasons to smile: My kids.

S- Season: Summer.

T- Tag 3 People: Steve, Christina, Shannon.

U- Unknown Fact About Me: I've starred in a major Hollywood blockbuster.

V- Vegetable You Hate: Cauliflower. It was never meant to be eaten.

W- Worst Habit: Is forgetfulness a habit?

X- X-rays You've Had: teeth

Y- Your Favourite Foods: Ethiopian food.

Z- Zodiac: Sagitarrius.

Hath mine eyes deceive me?

So, lately I have been working in the evenings with a home renovations company, and moonlighting during the day as a web developer. On my way home tonight, I passed a gas station showing 82.9. Wow, I thought, that’s wicked. I had to drop a co-worker off at his house before I went to work on the reno, so I decided I would wait until later to fill up. Finally, an empty tank when it was cheaper!

Driving home at 11:30 I was stunned to see the price at 78.7. I couldn’t believe it. Could this be happening to me? I had never won anything before, I felt elated. So here I am pumping happily away. Kur-klunk. The pump stops. Fair enough, it happens often enough with my car where the pump stops early. Sensitive tank I suppose. I start pumping again. Kur-klunk. Frig, this is annoying. Kur-klunk. Kur-klunk. Now I’m getting ticked. I only have $30 dollars in and I need to fill my tank to take advantage of this phenomenon. Suddenly gas is spewing out of my tank all over the place. Oh heavenly drops of gold wasted. ARGH. But to my surprise the $35 had actually filled my tank. That hasn’t happened in eons. Like since I was three. Have the Americans won the war? Have they already tapped Iraqi oil lines and started shipping it back here? I dunno. But I certainly filled up. Looked everywhere for containers. Not even a water bottle to fill. But I had an idea! Now I have to figure out how I’m gonna get all the extra gas I pumped out of the trunk and into containers. Hmm…

~2q

Site Trouble

Well, due to a disgruntled friend, who did not want their voice heard on this blog, the hosted header image for the blog, as well as the radio station, have been deleted. Unfortunately the source image has been lost in a previous computer crash, so you will have to be patient until I create a new one. I will also have to find an alternate web server to host the images on.

Cheers, and sorry the inconvenience.

~2q