Just In Case You're Wondering...

...An update from two recent posts, yes, the mess is gone and no, I didn't go. I refer to two recent posts, the first one where I agonized about attending my high school reunion and the other about people dumping garbage on the roads etc.

I probably blew my only opportunity to see old class mates, but I couldn't be bothered. It's too easy to avoid or ignore things if people don't whine or pester you to do something, remember kids thank your parents or friends (if you have any) who make you do things you might otherwise not do. If these people weren't around to act as your conscience you might not have bothered going to school, take music lessons, get pets, talk to girls (or anyone!) or get a job. It's important to listen to the advice of others, but sometimes it's easier to not do anything than to make your life miserable thinking about.

I know there are bigger problems in this world, so I'll be brief, the pile of wood that fell off the pick-up truck was eventually cleaned up. I don't who did it, the city or a fine upstanding citizen, but whoever did, Fort Garry and Pembina Highway thanks you. If you're wondering why I didn't clean up the mess, good question, but you wouldn't see Gordon Sinclair out there picking-up debris from the road...or would you?

The Adventure Continues...!

If you attended the 2009's Fringe festival's hit, Advanced D'n'D The Next Campaign, you'll be delighted to know the adventure continues with Advanced D'n'D: The Unfinished Campaign. The quest continues on October 25th and 26th, 8:00pm at the Gas Station Theatre. Tickets are $8 for students and $10 for adults and this adventure will continue over two days, so I would assume it would be essential to go both nights or it might not make much sense.

Take Some Responsibility!

A classic episode of Winnipeg-slackerness took place last Wednesday when I looked out the window from my work (onto busy Pembina Hwy) and spotted a woman pulling pieces of wood off the road (the centre lane of three) and hauling them onto the boulevard with the help of a teenage bystander. After figuring out what was going on, I realized it was a desk or wooden bookcase that fell off the back of a truck. I glanced south down Pembina and saw a middle-age man running back towards the Subway restaurant with his pick-up truck stopped on the side of the road. He ran close enough to see whatever fell out of his truck was unsalvagable, he then turned around and ran back to his truck...he never returned to pick up his load! This begs the question, who's responsible for his mess? The back door of the pick-up truck was clearly open and I doubt he had the shelf tied down properly. Sure, people make mistakes and screw up, but how about taking some responsibility! The debris, as of Saturday night was still piled on the boulevard and I wouldn't be surprised if it's still there come Spring with months of snowfall covering it up.

I've noticed in the last few years how people don't take responsibility for their messes, and it seems no one wants to go out of their way to clean up after other people, rightfully. A trend that has been happening the last few Autumn's is the act of sweeping all their leaves onto the street, no need for a rake anymore, just use your leaf blower to blow it on someone else's lawn or on the curb. I've also seen garage bags full of leaves (and garage) left and abandoned at bus stops and public boulevards. Along Kenaston and McGillivray, often I see full bags dumped into the ditches or the side of the road, what the hell? Can you imagine the increased mess if the city decides to charge for garbage pick-up or limit the amount of garbage you can throw away. My place of work has a dumpster paid for by the owners that seems to be a dumping ground for the neighborhood contractors. Many times our dumpster has been full when it's been filled up by unauthorized idiots that will throw out drywall, sinks, plumbing, windows, televisions, stoves and concrete. The BFI company refused, on at least a couple of instances, to empty the dumpster with slabs of concrete inside.

I don't want to sound like some civic do-gooder, but can't people take at least a little responsibility for their own crap? Come on!
Comments?

My High School Reunion

...My high school years flashed before me, when my friend Michael approached me at the hockey game last week and asked if I planned to attend our high school reunion. You see, my old high school is celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year and in celebration the alumni is hosting a reunion for past alumnists this weekend. There will be the usual reunion stuff; the homecoming football game followed by cocktail reception on Friday, the gala dinner on Saturday night and then a brunch the following morning. The gala dinner is at the Convention Centre and tickets are a steep $115.00! I'm cheap and I'm unsure if I wanna go anyways, 5o bucks maybe, but 115 bucks, WTF! So, unless it's an open bar (I doubt it), the price might just be the excuse I can use.

When I first heard about this event, I instantly said, "There is no way I'm going!" I hated high school, well actually, I didn't H-A-T-E high school, it's just that I didn't enjoy the experience that much, I don't have many friends I see on a regular basis from high school and I really don't care if I see most of those people for another 27 years. Will I regret it if I don't go? Maybe, I would like to first see the guest list so I could see who is attending from my graduating class, is it even worth attending if there is no one I want to see. On the school website it lists "found" alumni, the alumnists that have made it known they exist and they have approved the fact their email addresses are posted and available for all stalkers to enjoy. I have to admit, I am a tad curious...I wonder what people look like, what are people up to, who married who...you know, the usual crap that reunions bring to mind. I didn't have any girlfriends in high school, but I had some crushes that I never acted on, even so, there isn't anyone now I must see or seek out. Possibly someone had a crush on me and I would never find out unless I went to the gala dinner, you never know. There must be people that want some closure from that period of their life and confront people from their past that made life difficult for them or people that made their life enjoyable. For me, I have nothing to prove, I didn't find fame or even fortune and I still live within walking distance of the school, but I'm kind of pleased how things have worked out since graduating. I have all my own hair, I weigh about the same as I did in grade 12, I haven't had any major breakdowns (mental and physical), I've held down employment at the same job for the past 20 years, I've somewhat overcome my fear of talking to girls and I'm a little less anti-social and bitter, but I would be a hypocritical phony if I said I loved high school.

Mike said he was phoned by the alumni committee and they wondered if he was attending (how come they're not begging me to attend?), he said he didn't originally plan on going, so he urged me to go with him and said he would if I did. He name dropped a few familiar names that are coming from out-of-town and some mutual friends that will be at the dinner. I'm agonizing whether I should go or not...I'm probably 75% sure I won't go, but I'm sometimes easily persuaded, but I'm also good at finding an excuse not to go.

Any opinions or recommendations?

Oh, Those Relaxing Days Of Summer!

About a week and a half ago I finally splurged and purchased myself a laptop computer! I really had nothing to complain about with the desktop (shared), but sometimes I would have to wait til late hours into the morning to make postings for this blog, so now I have the freedom of portability and availability with the new laptop. The theory is that I'll post more often, but as you've seen in the last few weeks that hasn't been the case.

A quick update for my summer is in order:

• Winnipeg Folk Festival- Went to the opening night to see one of my heroes (circa late 70's), Elvis Costello, who performed in Winnipeg for the first time in since 1978. This was an awesome show and performance (read my post/review) that totally contradicted my belief that a big name concert can not still thrill me. I prefer small-scale shows and can't be bothered shelling out big bucks to see aging classic rockers (Rod Stewart, AC/DC, Aerosmith etc.), but this performance was special. As for the rest of the festival, I didn't stick around, nothing else thrilled me.
• Winnipeg Fringe Festival- This year I went to 4 performances, but they were for the same show, the Advanced D'n'D: the Next Campaign that featured Jesse and a select group of some of this citie's best improvers. Fun times, if I took the whole week off work I would have gone to all shows.
• Two weeks at the cabin- A nice stress-free vacation away from computers, TV and work. The water was cold as hell and it would have helped to have scorching sunny days, but it was a hell of lot better than sitting at home on the computer. Went to the drive-in twice and we tried to do big city stuff like, shop (bought 2 pairs of jeans), go to the library (to use the internet) and go to a cafe (Orange Toad) that wasn't a Starbucks or Tim's.
• Folklorama- The best thing about this summer was we didn't have a pavilion this year! Plans are on-going for next year, but this year I didn't have the rush back to the city to sweat it out 7 days in a row in a high school gym. I did go to a couple of other pavilions because I bought some passes so other planning committee members could sample Folklorama, but for some reason most people passed...this is the last time I try to do something nice! Anyways, it was enjoyable not stressing about Folklorama and I could used to having my summer's this way more often.
• Work- Where I work summer is the time when the employees take most of their holiday time. I took 2 weeks, my boss has been away almost all of August (her kid's are high level tennis players), C was away for a month, K is off the rest of August and early September and V has been travelling and cottaging it for the whole summer. Only B hasn't taken time in July and August, but he has all of September booked off. By some weird fluke 3 of my co-workers have travelled to the Maritimes...all first timers, it's just strange!
  

Oh That House!

Usually I don't like to copy articles from other websites, but I thought this one might be of interest. There aren't too many TV shows I follow regularly, but I can never resist a new (or re-run) episode of House. For the past 5 seasons, Dr. Gregory House (played by Hugh Laurie) has consistantly amused us with his scathing and insensitive comments at the expense of his patients, co-workers and friends. Apart from being a great show, I was drawn in and stayed a fan of the show because of House's bitterness, dismissive comments and brillant delivery only made perfect by Hugh Laurie. The shows that have the most longivity are the ones that are blessed with a good supporting staff and even though House shook up it's cast (new team), it has still remained brilliant.

So in anticipation to the new season, here are the top ten favourite House-isms (as chosen by TVguide.ca):

“The great thing about telling somebody they’re dying is it tends to focus their priorities. You find out what matters to them. What they’re willing to die for. What they’re willing to lie for.” — from “Three Stories”

“Are you comparing me to God? I mean, it’s great, but so you know, I’ve never made a tree.” — from “Role Model”

“A secret club. What’s the secret, they’re all morons?” — from “Cursed”

“Like I said, there’s no ‘I’ in ‘team.’ There’s a ‘me,’ though, if you jumble it up.” — from “DNR”

“Everybody’s great when they’re half-dead.” — from “Eurphoria, Part 1”

“If you talk to God, you’re religious. If God talks to you, you’re psychotic.” — from “House vs. God”

“Dying people lie, too. Wish they’d worked less, been nicer, opened orphanages for kittens. If you really want to do something, you do it. You don’t save it for a sound bite.” — from “Hunting”

“Union rules. I can’t check this guy’s seeping gonorrhea this close to lunch.” — from “Autopsy”

“Go up his rear and get a smear. Which reminds me, kinda feel like a bagel.” — from “Lines in the Sand”

“Half the people I save don’t deserve a second chance.” — from “Living the Dream”

Back Next Week!

Sorry for the lack of updates, I'm on vacation relaxing in a mystery exotic location. I will be back next week and then I'll share some photos and stories from my adventures. I had a chance to take in a movie at Manitoba's only (last?) outdoor drive-in theatre...More details later!
Now if the sun would cooperate a bit more, it would seem more exotic....!

"Quote Of The Day"

"She trusted the man because he presented himself as a Christian".
Not quite a quote, but a quote from the article that appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press on Thurday July 24th.

The spacious two-bedroom apartment with gleaming hardwood floors and marble countertops seemed almost too good to be true.

And $1,200 later, the apartment Trish Wilde thought was a sure thing turned out to be nothing more than attractive photographs and broken email promises from someone she says just pretended to have space for rent.

"I'm sick about it... $1,200 is a lot to make up," she said.

Wilde's son and his girlfriend were desperate for an apartment for Sept. 1, Wilde said, as their current lease expires soon. When they saw a listing on the classified website Kijiji for a two-bedroom apartment on Grosvenor Avenue, "they jumped at it."

The ad listed an apartment for $800 per month, including utilities. The advertiser said he was a mechanical engineer who'd been transferred from Winnipeg to New Jersey, said Wilde. He said he had the keys with him, so he couldn't show the apartment in person, but sent photos of the suite instead.

Wilde said she wired $800 for the first month's rent and a $400 damage deposit to London, England, covering the costs to help out her son. The man said he'd been sent to London unexpectedly for his work, she said.

Wilde said she trusted the man because he presented himself as a Christian. She said her son and his girlfriend even sent photographs of themselves so the man could get a sense of the new tenants, at his request, and received photos the man said were of him.

But after receiving the wire transfer, the man demanded another $800 before he would send the apartment keys, said Wilde. The Grosvenor building is managed by Sussex Realty, and when Wilde and her son called to check, they learned no one with the man's name lived in the building.

"We've got to do something to stop this," Wilde said. "This guy has probably made a killing."

The alleged scam might not be the first of its kind in Winnipeg. In late April, an ad for a Kennedy Street apartment with nearly identical wording to the Grosvenor Avenue ad was flagged as a scam by a Kijiji user.

In recent months, more near-identically worded ads for apartments in St. John's, Victoria, Kamloops and Halifax were flagged as scams by Kijiji users, one as recently as Wednesday.

Sussex Realty leasing manager Heather Campbell said the low vacancy rate seems to be driving Winnipeggers to more desperate measures.

"It's unfortunate, that I think a lot of renters right now are so desperate for a suite that they are sending money to people they don't know," she said.

Campbell said people can always call property management companies to check on suites listed online, and should always submit applications and damage deposits directly to the companies, not to individual renters. Any receipt for payment should come straight from the company, she said.

Wilde said her son went to police and was told not much could be done, and that online scams happen often.

Kijiji's website says people who think they've been scammed can contact a number of groups, including RCMP, Crime Stoppers, PhoneBusters, the Competition Bureau and the Reporting Economic Crime Online website. Website users can also report ads they think are scams using a link on each page.

Two comments:

1) In this day and age, why do people still wire money to strangers, especially over-seas? Use a transaction that is accountable and recoverable. Don't people watch enough movies about scams to know better? Stupid people!

2) Okay, if you trust someone because they present themselves as Christian, this should have been the first clue to run. Wow, there are suckers born every minute!

It's Time To Fringe!- Advance D'n'D Style

The armies of evil are assembling.
The forces of good have reunited.
Gather your weapons and your dice to once again witness the greatest game ever played!
The 2006 Fringe hit is back! Bigger, Bloodier, Violenter than before!







This year I promised myself I would see more than one play at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, so far I've seen two, well at least 2 episodes. J is in a play called, Advanced D'n'D The Next Campaign, an ensemble-cast improv production that promises to be a lot of fun. Personally I've never played the game, Dungeons and Dragons, nor do I have much prior knowledge to the concept and characters. Basically this is a good versus evil, but as far as the plot goes...anything can happen, because it's improv!
There are only 3 more performances of Advanced D'n'D left, so you still have time to check out this unique and very entertaining show. For information about the characters, photo and a show by show summary, be sure to check out their website, redriverserial.com.

Show times:
Thursday July 23- 7:30pm
Friday July 24- 8:00pm
Saturday July 25- 3:45pm

Reviews:
Winnipeg Free Press- ****
CBC Manitoba- ****
Ignite 107- ***1/2
Uptown- B+
Advanced D 'n' D: The Next Campaign
Red River Serial
Venue 6, Tom Hendry Theatre at the MTC Warehouse
Review posted: Sunday, July 19

Oh, it's on! Brandishing battleaxes and wielding warhammers, do-gooders and evil doers come to blows in Advanced D 'n' D: The Next Campaign, an improvisational comedy based on the notoriously nerdy Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. Here's how it works. Each adventure picks up where the last show left off. Directed by the dungeon master, players' fates are determined by the Dice of Doom. A high roll is excellent. A low roll... well, these are Dice of Doom. With up to 12 characters on stage, there's many a fine warrior. Especially entertaining are the vociferous vampire Raoul, Viscount of Hexadecimal and Sir Bedlington Regal who rides his servant Kile around like a pony. On the other hand, a couple combatants seem incompetent in comedy conflict and the flow of the game is choppier than the swords the characters carry. Still, despite a few casualties, Advanced D 'n' D: The Next Campaign reigns victorious.
- Jared Story

I Could Have Met The Emperor Of Japan Right Now!

...but I'm not, I'm still in Winnipeg and not in Vancouver where the Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko are spending their last day in Canada. Yes, I had the opportunity to meet royalty, I received an invitation over a month ago, but I turned it down.

Your probably wondering why I would even get considered? It's because I'm the local President of JC's and the Emperor wanted to meet select members of the community. When I received my invite, reaction from my friends, co-workers and family were a little mixed. I was told by many this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and this honour should override any financial considerations...oops, forgot to mention, I would have to pay my own way to Vancouver and wouldn't be compensated by said organization... That was strike one.

The date of the reception is today, July 13th from 4:45-5:05pm, yes, only 20 minutes! It would be $500 for airfare, probably another couple hundred for hotel and I would have the pleasure of being in the same room as the Emperor for 20 minutes!...that's strike two.

While most of my friends really encouraged me to attend (my boss even offered to pay half my airfare!), I had the impression some felt I wasn't worthy enough to meet royalty. I'm just some shmuck who frames pictures, listens and plays some music and writes stupid blogs, not someone with a respectable and "important" job that contributes anything important to this world. If you want to think about this in a Japanese Canadian historical point of view, we shouldn't be cheering and bowing to the symbol of Japan because of the internment and our upheaval from the impact of Japan attacking Pearl Harbour. I know this sounds extreme and really isn't the point, but in some ways I don't feel a great deal of connection with Japan...so that makes it strike three.

In the end I felt I could save the money for something I really want to do. The days of sitting lakeside and sipping a cold one are fast approaching and I'd rather spend two weeks at the cabin than two days in Vancouver and it's got to be a lot cheaper. I'm also planning a September roadtrip to Minneapolis/St. Paul to catch a concert by the Minus 5/Baseball Project/Steve Wynn IV (I'll write about this soon on my other blog), which I'm really looking forward to!

Whoopie! It's My Birthday.

So it's my birthday, big f*cking deal, another year down , another day closer to death.
Obviously, I joke, well kinda...today wasn't much different than any other day. It was my day off from work (my regular day off), so it was laundry and clean the house day. To add to the fun I made lasagna for a pot luck/Folklorama meeting in the evening. Remember those younger days when your birthday was always on your mind, when you couldn't wait until all your friends patted you on the back (...and gave you presents!) and said, "happy birthday". Back then it kind of mattered, people remembered friends birthdays and didn't rely on software or alarms on their Blackberrys or of course, the idiot's solution, Facebook. Yes, Facebook where all your "friends" are reminded of your birthdate, they have the option of wishing you happy birthday or not, even from people you may have never met or know much about.

It may sound like I'm complaining, but I'm not. I like low-key birthdays, I'm not much for attention or large gathering anyways, but it is nice to hear a happy birthday greeting from more than my immediate family. All my Facebook messages this year were from cousins (from out-of-town), relatives and friends that I see in person every once in a while. Though I had a meeting tonight, everyone wished me a happy birthday and to top it off, Sumi baked me a cake! I wish I had a camera when they surprised me with the cake, but I brought home a left-over piece. It was a yummy white cake with marshmallows and creamy white icing (my favourite, though it looks yellow in the photo) with white sprinkles. At home we indulged in some Jeannie's cake (with candles), which I love anytime of the year.

In some ways birthday's are like New Year's day, when we make promises we know we will never keep or make resolutions about things we should be doing or accomplishing. One of the ongoing promises I try to keep is keeping this and my other blog updated. I have so many excuses, like I don't have the time or I have nothing to talk about or I can't get on the computer...these are all true, but it shouldn't stop me. When I finally get my laptop computer, I envision I'll be blogging every night and posting even more music...yeah right.

DIK VAN DYKES- The Birthday Song mp3

The NHL Finals Begin!

The Final Four

It's mid-May and we're finally down to the final four teams on their quest to be the 2008-09 Stanley Cup champions. This has been one of the best playoffs so far with amazing action and last minute drama. Last round all the series went at least 6 games with two series going the full seven and in those series' weren't decided until the last few minutes and in overtime.

Round 3
Eastern Conference finals
4. Pittsburgh Penguins (eliminated: Washington and Philadelphia)
6. Carolina Hurricanes (eliminated: Boston and New Jersey)
This is a battle between the Stanley Cup finalist from last year and the Cup champs from 2006. On paper this seems like a first round match-up with the sixth place Hurricanes probably tagged as underdogs. Again if you asked me two weeks ago if I thought Carolina would be a top 4 team, I would have thought it was a joke. In my predictions from the last two rounds I didn't choose Carolina not because I didn't think they had enough talent, but because I doubted their heart and intensity...they obviously disproved my doubts. All the talent they need is in goal with 2006 Conn Smythe winner, Cam Ward performing miracles and his clutch saves at critical moments have given the Hurricanes a chance to win in every game thus far. As I said earlier, if Cam Ward is on, the Hurricanes are on.

The Penguins on the other hand are riding Sidney Crosby's rise, this guy looks like he's on a mission to prove that he's not only the MVP in this league, but also the best player on his own team. Malkin has been kind of up and down so far, but was a more noticeable presence during the Washington series, which helps. It's just that when Crosby plays well, everyone around him plays better, kind of like a player that wore number 99, but I think Crosby's intensity and willingness to battle will rise this team into the finals.
Pittsburgh in 6
Western Conference finals
2. Detroit Red Wings (eliminated Anaheim and Columbus)
4. Chicago Blackhawks (eliminated Vancouver and Calgary)
What can be said about the Wings that hasn't been said already, they are the defending champs and they play like champs. Anaheim provided the Red Wings with their most challenging test this year and last. They took Detroit to seven games only to win in the final minutes with a questionable (but legal) goal that breathed a sigh of relief to Red Wing fans everywhere. I really thought the Ducks matched the Wings shift by shift and deserved a better result. The Ducks could have been the first team in recent memory that have beaten the top two seeds in their conference.

The Hawks were the first team to advance to this round and the upstart Hawks continue to surprise and amaze with their never-quit attitude that has won them many come from behind games in the first two rounds. Though the defence has been shaky at times and Nikolai Khabibulin hasn't had to be spectacular yet, Chicago has found a way to win even when their opponents have tried to intimidate and hit the smaller Hawks. Chicago's best hope is that they don't take too many penalties and they don't trail the Wings early because Detroit will not blow leads like Vancouver did. Goaltending will be key, so Khabby better play like he did against the Wings in the Jet's last season and when he anchored Tampa Bay in their Cup victory. Though my heart is with Chicago, logic says Detroit is just too good to lose...but this year's playoffs have been anything but logical!
Chicago in 7
My series record so far: 9-3

Round Two Predictions

I know we're already 1 or 2 games into the second round, but I still want to give my psychic mind a challenge. All my predictions except for the New Jersey/Carolina series were correct. Even then, NJ was a minute and a half way from clinching the series until they gave up the tying and then the winning goal with about 30 seconds left in the third to blow the series. Incredible!
I actually wrote down what I thought the outcomes for round two would be before the start of the series', unfortunately I watched the first one or two games so I might have to reconsider, but I'll keep to my original guesses.


Round 2
Eastern Conference semi-finals
Boston vs Carolina
The Bruins easily blew away the Canadians first round while the Hurricanes squeaked by the Devils in game seven in the last minute. All indications is that Boston should have a easy time, but the never give up effort by Carolina (winning goal in .02 seconds and game 7's last minute win) has me thinking this series will be longer than most people think. If Cam Ward continues to amaze this could be an upset, but I doubt it.
Boston in 6

Washington vs Pittsburgh
This is the match-up the league and fans are drooling about, Crosby and Malkin versus Ovechkin and Semin/Backstrom and Green. The Caps are riding on a rookie goalie and they won 3 straight after trailing the Rangers 3-1, me thinks the Caps have awoken and will be tough to beat. Crosby has been on fire and I think he has something to prove, this series will be about leadership and lots of goals. So sit back and enjoy, this could be the best series of the playoffs and it will come down to game 7... let's only hope!
Pittsburgh in 7


Western Conference
Detroit vs Anaheim
As predicted the Ducks knocked off the President's Trophy winners this year, San Jose and they hope to do the same against the Wings. I don't know whats wrong with the Sharks? Thornton sucked, Marleau was non-existant, and Nabakov was very shaky. A new coach, revamped defence and a first place finish is good for the regular season, but the playoffs is a totally different game. Anaheim's top line of Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan totally destroyed the Sharks everytime they were on the ice, and rookie Jonas Hiller completely outplayed the vet, Nabakov.
The Wings had an easy series against Columbus, but they'll have their hands full with the Ducks. This is the Detroit Red Wings though, the defending Cup champs and they have some kind of magic that always gives them the edge in a tight hockey game. It will be tough, it will be grinding and if Anaheim pulls another upset, I won't be too shocked.
Anaheim in 6

Vancouver vs Chicago
Much like the Calgary/Chicago series, I'm torn about who to cheer for. The Hawks are my team, always have been always will be, but Vancouver is the last Canadian team and they are the parent club of our hometown Moose. Wouldn't it be great if both the Moose and the Canucks can win their league championships! Something about the Canucks bugs me though, maybe it's greedy cup/money hungry Matts Sundin (I wish the worst for you Matts!), maybe it's the Sedin's who seem to disappear when it matters. I've never loved the Canucks, I like them and cheer for them, but it doesn't feel right. In the first round they played it almost perfectly, they shut down St. Louis's powerplay, they beat Mason consistantly, the Sedin's appeared and most important of all Luongo was their best player every game. The bottom line is if he's not at his best the Canucks will NOT beat Chicago!
The Hawks are young and enthusiastic with scoring from all 4 lines and don't rely completely on their goaltender. Khabby was very solid against Calgary, but I think the difference against Calgary was more that Kiprusoff was tired and unspectacular and if Luongo plays like that Chicago has a really good chance to advance.
Chicago in 6

My Picks In The West

THE WESTERN CONFERENCE

1. San Jose Sharks- 117 pts.
8. Anaheim Ducks- 91 pts.
(reg. season series: Sharks 4-2)
This series could be very interesting, you have the Sharks who won the President's trophy for finishing first overall up against the Ducks who secured a playoff spot on the second last day of the regular season. Sounds like a big mismatch, but I think this spells a possible upset. The Sharks are deeper than the Ducks up front with major league scoring from Thornton, Marleau and Setoguchi (who cooled down in the second half), but the Ducks can match those guys with Getzlaf, Perry and Bobby Ryan (who had an excellent second half after starting the season in the minors). The Sharks have more depth and talent on the other lines.
The Sharks spent their off season making moves to improve their chances this Spring, replace their coach and completely revamp the defence with more experience and more offence with Dan Boyle and Rob Blake. The biggest factor will be the goaltending. The Sharks are solid with Nabokov while the Duck's goaltending tandem of J.S. Giguere or Jonas Hiller (#1?) is shaky and unproven. If the Sharks lose this series there will be a lot of head scratching in San Jose, they are serious contenders for the cup, but somethings missing...and I'm not sure what it is. This could be the most unpredictable series to call, so I'm calling an upset.
Ducks in 7

2. Detroit Red Wings- 112 pts.
7. Columbus Blue Jackets- 92 pts.
(reg. season series: Tied 3-3)
This is Columbus's first playoff appearance and unfortunately for the Jackets they have to play the defending champs, the Red Wings. An upset isn't entirely impossible, but unless Jacket's goalie Steve Mason can perform miracles, this series will be the first to end. The Red Wings have the edge in almost every position and special teams with way too much firepower in Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Hossa, Holmstrom and Lidstrom. Who does Columbus have? Rick Nash and...Steve Mason who was second in GAA, had 10 shutouts and 33 wins. The Jacket's definitely have the edge in the nets with Osgood looking not-so-good this year, but there will not be an upset here. Sorry.
Wings in 5

3. Vancouver Canucks- 100 pts.
6. St. Louis Blues- 92 pts.
(reg. season series: Tied 2-2)
I admit it, I watched game one of this series before writing this piece and it just confirmed my belief, the Canucks will win this series (and possibly others) if Roberto Loungo is Vancouver's best player every game. Fortunately for the Canucks the supporting cast (Demitra, Burrows, Kesler, Wellwood) is much improved from last year and the reason for the acquisition of Matts Sundin was to win the franchise the cup. Realistically the offence hinges on the creativity and talent of the Sedin twins and whoever has the pleasure of playing with them. Can the Sedins handle the pressures of the playoffs? Will Sundin earn his cash? Will the defence bend from the Blues relentless forechecking?
St. Louis was the hottest team going into the playoffs, their story is incredible considering they were last in the conference at the all-star break. Chris Mason playing way beyond expectations, the return of Andy McDonald after the all-star break, not trading players like ex-Jet Keith Tkachuk or Brad Boyes at the deadline are all factors why the Blues are in the playoffs. Talk of a return by Paul Kariya, who has missed most of the season with an injury adds interest to the series. I think the Blues can give the Canucks some serious trouble, I was originally going to pick St. Louis for the upset, but the play of Loungo in game one has me convinced otherwise.
Canucks in 7

4. Chicago Black Hawks- 104 pts.
5. Calgary Flames- 98 pts.
(reg. season series: Hawks 4-0)
I'm torn in this series, I would like to see a Canadian team advance, but the Black Hawks have been my favourite team since 1970, I've supported them when they were up and supported when they were down (...way down!) and now they are back in the playoffs. I'm pumped and pretty excited about the possibilities and I think they have a real shot of winning at least a series or two, but they are young and inexperienced. The only player that owns a Stanley Cup ring (with Tampa) is ex-Jet Nikolai Khabibulin a solid vet in goal who has recently been playing like Khabby of old. Speed, quickness and youth best describes the new Hawks; Toews, Kane, Sharp, Campbell and Havlat (who led the team in scoring) will be a handful for the Flames defence.
Calgary faltered in the stretch with key injuries to Bourque and Regehr, but the team has a wealth of experience and maturity. Any team that boasts the leadership of Jerome Iginla can't be counted out. It'll come down to a battle between Miikka Kiprusoff and Khabibulin.
Hawks in 6.

If San Jose didn't play Anaheim first round I might have picked them to win the conference, but it's hard to bet against the Wings, I'm going to say Detroit will once again win the west.
In the East, I don't think Boston quite has what it takes to win it all yet, I really think Pittsburgh will get it together and win the Eastern conference. So this might be a rematch of last spring's final. I like Jersey too and don't forget about Washington and the Canucks (we need a Canadian team in the finals!)...you get the idea! Sit back and enjoy the playoffs and try to forget it's beautiful outside.
Your comments are welcome. Let me know what your picks are.

My NHL Playoff Picks! (part 1)

I've been thinking about making my playoff predictions for the past few days and I better do it now before the playoffs begin on Wednesday. Like everybody else that makes predictions on sports, I'm pretty much resigned to the fact I'll be lucky if I can get 50% of my picks correct. The first round of the NHL playoffs is guaranteed to offer at least one upset and I guess that's what's so fascinating about the first round, anyone can beat anyone on any given night despite the regular season standings, team's regular season's series, winning streaks and injuries to key players. Just because a team like St. Louis had a great run during the last month or the fact Chicago swept Calgary during the regular season, doesn't always translate to success in the playoffs.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. Boston Bruins -116 pts.
8. Montreal Canadians- 93 pts.
(reg. season series: Bruins 5-0-1)
Whenever these long time original six rivals meet in the playoffs it always promises to be an intense, bitter battle. This time the Bruins are the heavy favourite, possibly the biggest mismatch of all the series. I think the Bruins have too much depth at all the positions and if goaltending is the key, Corey Price better step it up for the playoffs, he's been inconsistent and shaky through the second half of the season. The Bruins have marque players in Savard, Chara and Thomas who have achieved to expectations, the Canadians; Kovalev, Koivu and Price have not.
Stats aside, this could be a very watchable series if the Canadians gain some momentum early and can steal at least one of the first two games in Boston, then we'll have a great series. Otherwise this could get ugly.
Boston in 6
2. Washington Capitals- 108 pts.
7. New York Rangers- 95 pts.
(reg. season series: Capital 3-0-1)
This is a tough series to call, the Caps are loaded on offense with Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom and Green, while the Rangers are the lowest scoring team in the playoffs. The Rangers have the edge on defence and Lundqvist is more solid than Theodore in goal. I've never liked the Rangers that much, maybe it's because they keep employing Avery or maybe it's the underachievers that make the Rangers look like they can throw money at their problems.
The Caps are exciting and I'd like to see how far they can go. Wouldn't a Caps/Pens match up be grand next round?
Washington in 6

3. New Jersey Devils- 106 pts.
6. Caroline Hurricanes- 97 pts.
(reg. season series: Hurricanes 3-1)
These are two teams I haven't don't see much of on HNIC or TSN, so it's hard to make an educated prediction, but any team that has Martin Brodeur can't be counted out. The Devils have the seasoned vets and they always seem to crank it up a notch in the playoffs. They traditionally haven't played much of an offensive game in the past, but this season saw the emergance of Zach Parise as a bona-fide scorer (94 pts.) along with 8 players with 15 or more goals, a non-typical NJ team.
The Hurricanes are riding momentum with a late season push that has seen Cam Ward play like the Conn Smythe winner he was when they won the cup, but will that be enough?
New Jersey in 7

4. Pittsburgh Penguins- 99 pts.
5. Philadelphia Flyers- 99 pts.
(reg. season series: Penguins 4-2)
Both these Pennsylvania teams finished with 99 points, but the Flyers failed to gain home ice with a loss on the last day of the season. The Pens are the hottest team going into the playoffs finishing with a 15-2-3 record in their last twenty and who can deny the one-two punch of Crosby and Malken, the first and third top scoring leaders. They also added some offensive depth with the acquisitions of Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin on the Crosby line. The problem with the Penguins is they sometimes rely too heavily on Crosby and Malkin, as after their top two lines the rest of the forwards are as interchangable as minor-leaguers.
The defence is suspect and if wasn't for the return on Gonchar from a major injury, there would be little offence contribution from the back end. The Flyers have a much more balanced attack with six players scoring 25 or more goals. The return of Daniel Briere only gives the Flyers more options and a solid top 3 lines.
The key could be goaltending. The Penguin's Fleury has found his game after dealing with inconsistancy early in the season and has been confident and solid when the team needed him most. For the Flyer's to reach the next round, Biron has to be their best player or at least be the difference in the series.
Pittsburgh in 7

Tomorrow: The Western Conference

Welcome To Winnipeg!

No, that's not more snow on the ground.

Waited for the bus on Easter day and this what was left of the bus shelter at my stop at Grant and Stafford. I've seen many shelters smashed in front of my work on Pembina, but these vandals did a real good number on this one. Not only did they break the front and back walls of glass (with supposeably the metal chair laying inside), they also toppled the stone garbage can and the bus bench...ooow watch out, some "original" tough-guys roaming our streets. Such sense-less pathetic acts like this don't surprise me anymore and it's becoming a pretty typical Winnipeg sight nowadays. I noticed the mess wasn't cleaned up until late Monday afternoon, at least a day and a half after it was destroyed. I'm sure the city was paying triple time to the clean-up crew as yesterday was Easter Monday, a holiday for city and government workers.

Hope everyone had a happy Easter! Now back to my chocolate eating.

It's (S)no Joke!

Seriously, if you're a true Winnipegger it's no big deal to see some snow in April, but this is bordering on annoying. Every time we experience another meltdown and forecasts of potential flooding, we receive another dump of the white stuff. Come on, the NHL playoffs start in a couple of weeks! I always feel somewhat guilty during the playoffs because I really should be outside enjoying the seasonal weather (Spring), but instead I hole myself in my man-cave (if I had one...actually it's my living room) for at least the first two rounds almost every night watching the playoffs. Despite it all, Spring is my favourite time of year after the long winter it's finally a relief to shed a layer or two. Like the typical Winnipegger I am, I promise every year, "that's it, I'm moving somewhere warm", ha! I'll still be here another 40 years annually complaining about the weather.

Now go out and build a snowman!
Season's greetings!!

Yeah, I Know I Haven't Posted...!

I think I'm through with my writer's block so I should be posting regularly again real soon. I've been trying to keep my other blog, teenagedogsintrouble.blogspot.com updated, but
I'm failing miserably there as well...well, not as bad as here. I know you must be sick of seeing that jerk Sean Avery on this page, but I promise I'll keep this page more updated; more about my life, my city, my fetishes (and obsessions?) and anything I can think of at two in the morning.

Hey, it looks like Spring is breaking through, only about 2 or 3 more months of winter!
More later!

Avery Suspended By NHL...Finally

More proof that Sean Avery is a slime on and off the ice. Everyone remembers the on-ice incident with Martin Brodeur during last Spring's NHL playoffs, now the "classy" Avery made these off-ice boneheaded comments:

The league says the Dallas Stars winger, who is known as a pest for being an agitator on the ice, made inappropriate comments not pertaining to hockey on Tuesday.
In Calgary for a game, Avery made a public comment that seemed to be directed at Flames defenceman Dion Phaneuf, who is now dating a Canadian actress who once dated Avery.
"I'm really happy to be back in Calgary. I love Canada," Avery said in front of cameras. "I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about, but enjoy the game tonight."
Phaneuf is dating Elisha Cuthbert, who is best known for her role on the television series, 24. She dated Avery until the summer of 2007.
Stars management issued a statement saying the club supported the NHL's decision and would have suspended Avery if the league had not.
The ban is indefinite pending a hearing with commissioner Gary Bettman.

It Seems Avery really likes to revel in the spotlight he receives when he shoots his mouth off. He has this NBA/NFL trash talk mentality with little or no respect for the integrity for the game. Glad to see the Stars have supported the leagues decision, I've read that many of his teammates in Dallas have a real hate-on for Avery. According to the article, a poll of 66 % of NHL players chose Avery as the most hated player in the league.

I Don't Like Mondays

Usually I love Monday's because I have the day off from work, but I'm beginning to hate Monday's because of some recent car issues. About three weeks ago, I had my car ticketed and towed while parking downtown (ticket $30 + tow w/taxes $70= $100) and this morning when I went to the car I discovered that someone smashed the small backseat window on the passenger side! As you can see in the photo there was glass in the backseat and on the curb and boulevard. Further investigation, judging by all the papers and bags sprawled on the floor, indicates this person was probably searching for cash or anything of value because the ignition wasn't tampered with. Fortunately, there was no cash (except small change) or anything valuable (I removed my sunglasses yesterday) besides books, maps and receipts and the outdated stereo was untouched. It could have been worse, it happened on the warmest November day ever (I have no data supporting this claim), so driving with an open window was no problem and walking to and from the glass replacement place was pleasurable. It's more of an inconvenience more than anything and the 200 dollar deductible (actual cost $206) burns me. I'm sure the perpetrator must have been pissed off finding nothing to steal and cutting their hand for their trouble (judging by the blood stains on the seat, parking brake, on the inside doorhandles and in the glove compartment). Maybe we're better off not locking our car doors and not leaving anything of value inside and relying on the Club or an immobilizer to prevent theft...sounds logical.

Howiewatha

Back in my heyday of comic collecting (mid-late 70's), I was more interested in the artists that created the art than the investment value of first appearances, origin issues and #1 editions. I amassed an impressive collection of Amazing Spiderman's and pretty much any title in the Marvel catalogue at that time. One phenomenon from 1976 was the comic book, Howard The Duck that caught the attention of collectors with it's fowl-mouthed "man-duck", Howard, who smoked cigars and had a lovely sidekick, Bev. This comic was intriguing because at the time most of the Marvel line-up was your standard superhero types who fought bad guys, but Howard was a bit of an anti-hero fighting ordinary, often bizarre characters in odd offbeat situations...Kidney Woman, Space Turnip, rock band Kiss, a presidential campaign, Son of Satan, and the Defenders were just some of the silly plot lines. Actually the comic started out promising, but eventually it got too stupid and badly illustrated and then that awful, horrible movie! Definitely killed the buzz! Howard The Duck originally spun-off from Fear #19 in a Man-Thing story, somehow through this Howard got his own book.

Anyways, the catch for me was the art for the first two issues by Frank Brunner. Brunner was known as a fabulously detailed fantasy artist who was best known for illustrating issues of Doctor Strange and Man-Thing. I once met Brunner at a comic con in Calgary in the 70's (I have no idea what year?) and he signed a print of his "Scarface Duck" and briefly chatted about comics, very cool! I bring up all this comic talk because I recently purchased an original drawing by Frank Brunner (see top photo) from eBay. I occasionally browse eBay as I dream of owning some original comic art, but for now this is all I can afford. I think this is a nice piece because, though it's just a sketch, it is well detailed and it was drawn (1976) during Brunner's height of success with Marvel and not at a recent comic con. Now about framing?

Don't Forget To Vote!!!

I voted early, 9:00am to be exact a mere half and hour after polls in Manitoba opened. I always beat the rush because after 4pm the after school and work crowd fill the gymnasium and you know, I have better things to do than wait in lines. I cannot stress this enough...VOTE! I can't stand it when fortunate citizen's like ourselves, that have our democratic to vote, don't. If you don't vote you have no right to whine and complain about the GST or Harper, at least if you do your duty and vote, you should feel you at least tried to make a difference.

On the radio the other day they we're talking about the problem of the 18-24 age category how they are 20% less likely to vote. Would online voting make a difference? It couldn't hurt, a lot of TV shows (American/Canadian Idol), use the online voting format and we file our taxes all online. I predict that Elections Canada will institute a way to help battle this voter apathy and online voting seems obvious.

I've never had such a hate-on with a party and leader like I do with Stephen Harper and the Conservatives. This arrogant a-hole is so out of touch with real Canadians that I wonder why he is so popular, must be the same reason George Bush kept getting re-elected. It was Harper that instituted the law of a set election date, right? In Winnipeg, "star" candidates such as Thomas Steen and Trevor Kennard, who are rookie politicians, but local sports celebrities have been silenced by not appearing at candidates debates. Harper's such a control freak, he doesn't even trust his own cabinet never mind his candidates. Aren't you curious to hear what Steen has to say about carbon emissions or the woeful performance of the Canadian dollar? This is a candidate who on his website lists his hockey stats from his playing days...the PC's can't be serious? Do they think we're that stupid? We shall see. Harper's wife Lauren seems like a reasonable person, but how can she lay down beside a slimy weasel like her husband each night and not feel somewhat dirty and guilty? Makes me cringe at the thought!

Anyways, get out and vote, I know the Conservatives will probably lead again, but with enough thoughtful voting we can at least prevent a majority government...maybe?

Slacker Uprising

Despite the title, Slacker Uprising is not my autobiography, but it's Michael Moore's latest film. Moore's film is the first time a major motion picture is being offered for free download on the internet and he says he is doing it for two reasons:

1. Next year it will be 20 years since my first film, "Roger & Me," so I'd like to give those of you who've supported my work over the years a thank you gift in the form of a brand new movie; and

2. I hope the release and wide distribution of this new movie will help to bring out millions of young and new voters on November 4th.

"I'm giving you my blanket permission to not only download it, but also to email it, burn it, and share it with anyone and everyone (in the U.S. and Canada only). I want you to use 'Slacker Uprising' in any way you see fit to help with the election or to do the work that you do in your community. You can show my film in your local theater, your high school classroom, your college auditorium, your church, union hall or community center. You can have your friends and neighbors over to the house for a viewing. You can broadcast it on TV, on cable access, on regular channels or on the web. It's completely free -- I don't want to see a dime from this. And if you want, you can charge admission or ask for a donation if it's to raise money for a candidate, a voter drive, or for any non-profit or educational purpose. In other words -- it's yours!"

- Michael Moore

This is pretty cool, I haven't watched it yet, I'll get around to it later this week, but the issues and relevance of the young people vote (or lack of) are just as important here as it is across the border. Anyways, watch it and comment, I would love to he what you think.

Click the link below for the full stream download. If you want to download and burn a copy, click here.
Slacker Uprising (stream)

Canadian Gold

Since my pal Maruad is probably expecting me to write about the new Hockey Night In Canada anthem, here it is! When I saw the "10 finalists" program, I had a feeling this one would get chosen. There seemed to be sameness in all the finalists, I'm sure that was aided by the orchestration of all the themes that transformed the original entries. A kind of Celtic meets Dallas theme, it has a dated 80's TV show theme feel to it, which unfortunately I don't think hockey when I hear it and I've never been a fan of any song with bagpipes. I must admit I wasn't that interested in CBC's anthem challege contest (I only listened to a handful of entries on the website, as some entries really really sucked!) and every time I hear this theme when I watch HNIC, I'll be thinking, "reality TV-show" winner...I guess that will be good for Colin Oberst and his 100k. Boy, I regret my laziness I should have entered!

Comments? Like? don't like? hate or don't care? Judge for yourself.

Yellow Sticky Notes

Last month (September 19-21), I went to Vancouver for the 20th anniversary celebration of the Redress agreement. At this national celebration, interested participants we're treated to panel discussions, workshops and of course a gala Japanese dinner. One of the workshops discussed Japanese-Canadian identity for youth, since JC's have the highest rate of inter-marriage. Guest presenter, Jeff Chiba Stearns began the workshop by screening his two films, What Are you Anyways? and his newest film, Yellow Sticky Notes. Both films are a worthwhile watch and I thought it would be cool to share YSN here. If you like what you see, be sure to purchase a copy from Jeff, as the DVD has some bonus features.

The workshop itself asked it's participants to write, on coloured sticky notes, random thoughts and feelings toward their heritage and identity. It should be noted there was a good mix of young, old, half/full Japanese Canadian and non-JC's. Very interesting and quite unique, it really made you think. Special thanks to Jeff and coordinator Caitlin Ohama-Darcus.

No More Hole!

Many years ago (7 or 8 years?), we had water dripping from our dining room ceiling. Directly above on the second floor was the bathroom, so hopefully it was the tub, not the toilet. At the time we had a complete drum kit, a stack of amplifiers and mic stands directly below, so the dining room was quickly decorated in plastic. For months I positioned a couple of buckets on the floor to catch the drips and once in a while someone would kick the bucket causing wetness to the hardwood floors. Eventually we phoned a plumber from James Wall to investigate the problem, he tried snaking the bath tube drain and checking the edge of the tub that was pulling away from the wall or vice-versa. He finally cut a large opening into our ceiling (approx. 2.5'x4') and changed some of the pipes from the drain to plastic, problem solved.

I then cut a large piece of white foamcore to cover the hole. This worked for a week or two, then; drip...drip... the dripping was back, obviously the problem was not solved. I cut a hole into the foam big enough to let the leak drip to the floor and the bucket was back. It sat like that for years until about a year ago when my co-worker Brian lent me his drain-remover tool and plumber's putty. This tool fits inside the tub drain and unscrews the silver ring area, once it's removed you make a ring of putty and insert it between the foot and the drain ring when you screw it back in. Once again I screwed a fresh piece of foamcore over the hole and waiting to see if the leak returned, and guess what, it worked! It sat like that for months and months until we finally we called up Handyman Connection and they sent over an old gentleman that patched up the hole over the course of three days. First day to cut and screw in a piece of drywall, second day to plaster the drywall over any gaps and the third to apply that stucco-stipple stuff on the ceiling. It looks great and almost unnoticeable, I guess the message here is to just do it and not wait for years to do something that really isn't a big deal. Now, about the holes in roof of the garage...!

Anyone Else Get This?

Tried to access Facebook today (and last night) and the message on the screen (see photo) tells me I am using an incompatible browser. What the hell! I use Firefox (Mozilla) and I upgraded to version 3.0.1 a week or two ago. Last week I also deleted one of my two free system security softwares and updated the ZoneAlarm security suite I kept. I could maybe understand the changes might effect my system and browsing settings, but I have used Facebook flawlessly the last few days.

Any ideas?
(Thanks Maraud for your comments)

Update: September 9, 2008- After reading on message boards that other people had similar problems with Facebook and Hotmail it seems the problem originates from the new (free) ZoneAlarm 8.0 security. There seems to be a glitch that doesn't recognize the browser for some reason and according to a ZoneAlarm tech, I should try to reset the settings and reboot the system. I did find if I cancelled the cookie control and anti-virus, Facebook worked, but what's the point of the security? It worked last night for a while, but it again failed to work Tuesday. I finally deleted the 8.0 and went back to the old 7.0 and for extra security I downloaded AVG 8.0. it works fine now.

One Last Night!

The last night of Folklorama always leaves me with a bittersweet feeling. On one hand it's a relief the week is almost over, no more late nights, no stress worrying about the show and no rushing straight from work to the Pavilion. Believe it or not there some things I will miss, like interacting with people from our JC community and the rush of the stage show running smoothly. Like most jobs there are people you get tired of seeing and hearing, but there are a few people I will truly miss.
Highlights and observations from night 7:

• Saturday's shows were packed and as I'm scanning over the week's revenues and attendance charts, I see that Saturday was in fact the most successful day overall. I spent a good portion of the evening writing thank you cards, so it seemed like the evening flew by fast.
• Carol was presented with flowers from Alex and Kyla, members' of Kaede during the last show. Aurora repeated the act during the volunteer party with Sumi presenting Lucy with a bouquet.
• Finally had a taste of the Folklorama beer that is produced by the official beer sponsor, Fort Garry Brewing Company. I drink a lot of FGBC beer and it is similar in colour to their signature dark. The taste isn't as heavy and chewy and tastes thinner than the dark, but definitely has more flavour and body than the Pale. Unfortunately it is only available in cans, so I would recommend pouring it into a glass (or plastic cup) to avoid that tinny taste. The beer is available at Folklorama pavilions, beer stores and liquor marts for a limited time only.
• The MJCCA presented Sumi with a bouquet and a card for her work as the "face of Folklorama", as she did the JC community proud with her fine representation, can't think of a better person for the role!

The evening concluded with a volunteer party complete with food, drinks and left-over beer. This year Rock band was the entertainment, complete with a projection screen and it was a lot of fun, but I definitely need to practice. There's always next year.

Shaw Japan Pavilion Video 2008

Here's the Folklorama video that is aired on Shaw TV and the Shaw.ca website. Sumi does an excellent job explaining some attractions at the Pavilion with Shaw host, Joanne Kelly, such as taiko drumming, kimonos and food. Once again she represents the Pavilion well with her knowledge and incredible poise. I did a Shaw interview years back when I was an ambassador (with Tracey Koga as host, fortunately I never had a chance to view it) and it's hard, really hard to answer questions at the top of your head, I just "winged it", the difference being at the time I really didn't know much about dress, dances, drumming or even food. I must admit I'm extremely proud of Sumi, not only for how she presents herself, but also for her genuine love of Japanese(-Canadian) culture...Enjoy!

Friday Night, Party Night?

Hot weather, the Bomber game and going to the cottage are all reasons why there was a small crowd during the first show. Those excuses didn't hold up as the attendance recovered for the second and third show aided in part by bus tours. The second show had two buses that totally almost 100 spectators and the usually sparse third show was boosted by another bus full of seniors from the States.
Highlights and observations from night 6:

• Similar schedule to last night with the exception of Aurora replacing Kaede for dance. Karate performed their final night and Stacey hosted the festivities. I must admit Sumi and I have lucked out with such competent and skilled emcees. It sure makes our jobs easier and with young under-30 hosts (Stacy, Jesse and Marli last year) that can carry the emcee load for future Folklorama's.
• The film crew from Travel Manitoba made their presence felt. A photographer moved from the front of the stage to the back and even on the stage to get some flash close-up shots of Hinode Taiko. It would be interesting to see the footage they shot, but I don't know if we'll ever have a chance to see it.
• The second and final night of the late show karaoke party closed out the evening. There seemed to be more volunteers (and performers) from our Pavilion than actual visitors taking their turn at the mike. Almost like the volunteer party without the free beer, or as Stacey said, "liquid courage".

Saturday is the last night for the Japan Pavilion and it will be a welcome relief to have a day off on Sunday. The last night also means the volunteer party, so I might not have the energy to post immediately after Saturday's show, because I hear that Rock Band will be the featured form as entertainment and the beer is gratis. If that's the case, I'll get the posting up Sunday or Monday. This may include my wrap-up with more photos and stories from the past week. Stay tuned and please leave your comments and thoughts about the week.

Dance, Dance And More Dance!

The last three nights of Folklorama are traditionally the strongest nights for attendance and sure enough Thursday night's shows were the best attended so far. Two full houses (for the 1st two shows) aided by a couple of bus tours, helped push the totals closer to previous years and with Friday and Saturday to come, it should be a successful year (I am unofficially speculating so don't get excited yet!).

Highlights and observations for night 5:

• A film/video crew were present for the first two shows. I can't confirm this, but I heard they were filming a personal profile on Hinode drummer Sheila. A mobile camera as well as a tripod camera, followed her backstage and strictly focused on her during her performance with Hinode. I'm not sure what this will be used for, but I'm betting it's one of those profiles on people's "double" life, a mild-mannered executive during the day and a crazed Japanese drummer at night. I'll see what I can find out.
• There was a lot of pink tonight! The Kaede dance group performed 3 pieces per show, one more than usual because Shayna was taking the night off, she'll return on Saturday.
• Yuki tonight had two dancers accompanying him on stage. Alex was joined by Stephanie Okabe, last year's adult ambassador, to provide Yuki with double dancers behind him. I'll post a clear picture tomorrow as proof, because all photos of the trio were blurry tonight.
• Keiko S-H did a splendid job emceeing tonight, her smooth delivery and confident stage presence is always a joy to watch. She's always welcome to emcee at Folklorama!

During Friday's late show, a video company hired by Travel Manitoba will visit our Pavilion. The video crew will follow a tour group on their motorcoach, as well as inside the Pavilions they visit. This video, travelogue if you will, is going to be used for promotion, sales and education for Travel Manitoba. Sounds exciting...not!

Late Night Wednesday

I didn't get home until after midnight because of the Wednesday late-night party hour tonight, so I'll have to leave you with an abbreviated version because fatigue may play a big role tomorrow at work.

Highlights and observations for night 4:

• Yuki Imagawa made his Folklorama debut with a modern Japanese pop song complete with accompanying dancer, Alex Allen. Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, Yuki showcased an impressive powerful set of pipes that captivated the audience and the ballet-like dance visuals by Alex gave the piece a modern twist.
• Shaw TV paid the Pavilion a visit and taped portions from the first show. When host Joanne Kelly was searching for an interview, the only clear choice was the "Face of Folklorama" herself, Sumi. Stay tuned to Shaw-TV (crap, I have MTS-TV) as every year they broadcast segments from Folklorama and their website (which has taken down last year's videos recently) will eventually post the videos. When it's available I'll post it here.
• Connie Tamoto (from Global) hosted and as usual was an excellent emcee. We're lucky to have someone as skilled as her from within our community.
• Late night party ran from about 10:30 until 11:35 and was a moderate success. The only advertising for this late night event was in the program book and since we haven't hosted a late night show in years, the fear was that we wouldn't have anyone there. We had a small number of left-overs from the 9:45 show, but it wasn't just the volunteers that participated in the karaoke. Spread the word for Friday night!
• I've been hearing whispers and rumours that we will not be participating in Folklorama next year. I've been asked that by many people and a few have been very upset by what their hearing. I hear this negative talk every year during Folklorama week and I don't know if it's just one person that's spreading their displeasure or opinion or if there's any basis to these claims. I remember a couple of year's ago someone was saying we wouldn't have a Pavilion because taiko wasn't going to be in town. This in fact was false and no one from Hinode ever said they couldn't participate. I'm not saying we will or will not be in Folklorama next year (We could probably use a break), it's not for me to say right now, but I am saying the Pavilion is not the place to discuss the future. It's been a great week so far and let's enjoy it and keep it fun. If any volunteers, performers or coordinators are reading this and have any strong feelings about next year, please leave your comments and opinions here! We'll discuss this at greater length after Folklorama.
  

The weeks more than half over now, but there's still lots to see and hear. I'm already looking forward to sleeping in on Sunday...sigh.

Another Successful Night!

An appearance by the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, the honourable John Harvard, highlighted day three of Folklorama at the Japanese Pavilion. The crowds are continuing to grow and the bus tours are arriving in droves, yet a comfortable feeling of "being in control" is being felt by many of the volunteers. From an entertainment standpoint everything is running smoothly and the performers are relaxed and having fun, we couldn't ask for anything more.

Highlights and observations from night 3:

• Karate returned to the Pavilion after taking a hiatus last year. Good to have the variety, because everybody loves to watch more traditional hand to hand combat.
• Jesse debuted his first full night of emceeing for the Pavilion, as last year he shared an evening with Stacey. Jesse's charismatic-style is perfectly suited to this event, he loves to charm the audience with his somewhat sincere, yet always engaging wit and if there's a stage, Jesse will entertain.
• Stay tuned on Wednesday when the Pavilion will stay open later for their first of two nights for a late night party. If you like karaoke be sure to stick around immediately following the 9:45 show (10:30) as Jesse will host this event until about 11:45, hopefully there is enough audience members to the make this entertaining. Part 2 will be on Friday night, so tell your friends!
• It was the first night for the Kaede dancers, mainly the older group. When is Carol going to get better copies of her songs? She still uses cassettes that sound like they have been played over and over and over...you get the idea. The tape hiss is getting so bad, it literary sounds like an old scratched up 78 from the 40's. I could have sworn someone put them on CD a few years ago. The best thing would be to find the original source and copy it directly to disc or digital file (will need lots of noise-reduction done to it).
• Tonight was the last night for Kenji, one of our singers. It was also Keiko Saito-Hanssen's last night as one of the Aurora dancers this year and possibly for a while. I heard she might be taking a break from dancing, but I'll believe it when I see it. Keiko has been a solid performer for Aurora through the years and first got acquainted with her back when the Pavilion was held at the Cultural Centre. She is back on stage Thursday night as the emcee of the main stage show.

Wednesday should be exciting as Yuki (I'm not sure what his last name is...anyone know?) makes his first appearance as a singer and as I mentioned earlier, late night karaoke. I think it'll be a good time to try one of those Folklorama beers!

Night Two...5 Days Left

The crowds returned in large numbers to the Japan Pavilion on day two, I'm guessing half of Winnipeg must have returned from the lake because there was a line of people waiting outside the front doors already at 5:30pm when I arrived. The first two shows enjoyed near capacity crowds and I expect them to grow in numbers as the week goes on. The show was similar to the previous night with the exception of different dances performed by the Aurora dancers.

Highlights and observations from night 2:

• Judo replaced Kendo for tonight's martial art. The group consisted of younger members, I think the highest rank belt on stage (besides Wayne) was a orange. I personally believe the audience is warming to the martial arts segment and by giving them 10 minutes before the main show it enables the rest of the show to flow nicely. Two years ago the martial arts segment was rushed to squeeze them into the main show and only allow them 5 or 6 minutes.
• Monday saw the return of Shig to the stage, not as a member of Hinode taiko, but as the evening's emcee. His calm easy-going banter was a pleasant surprise as this was his Folklorama MC debut. Notice how the entertainment coordinator's roped their relatives (including their fathers) into this job, I guess the talent runs in the family.
• Kenji's singing performance included 3 dancers behind him, Mitch was joined this time by Sumi and Keiko and when they're dancing on stage you hardly notice the singer. Visually this adds so much depth to the piece.

Tuesday will be an important night as the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, John Harvard is scheduled to pay our Pavilion a visit, as well as CITY-TV...should tuned.