Year Of A Dragon

More To Come...

2006-08-16T00:59:00.000-04:00

...I promise.

Mo Mecca

2006-08-16T00:56:00.000-04:00

The TO gay pilgrams are happy. Abercrombie and Fitch have finally opened a store in the Eaton Center.

The only thing I'm looking forward to is the eye candy. I just love being a heretic for any religion.

News worthy?

2006-07-07T10:23:00.000-04:00

Bush turned 60 and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was planning to give George a gift (a belt buckle no less) when the evil media spoiled the surprise.

Hilarity ensues. Wayan brothers move over.

All Night Long

2006-07-03T01:29:00.000-04:00

It's 1:30 in the morning and I'm hankering for some chinese or thai food. When I lived downtown my options for such and endeavour wouldn't be that unreasonable to satisfy my hunger. Unfortunately I don't have the luxury living in the burbs.

So my suggestion to the cosmic powers that be: some sort of 24 hour delivery service of whatever you were hankering for.

Hey, there have been weirder wishes. Maybe it's just the hunger talking.

Countdown

2006-07-03T00:48:00.000-04:00

Only 12 more days till the Gay Games in Chicago.

It hasn't hit me yet. It won't until I'm on the flight to O'Hare.

These next two weeks will be busy and probably a blur.

Has Anyone Seen My Nuts?

2006-06-21T23:10:00.000-04:00

Go see Over The Hedge! It's frinkin' hilarious.

Return Of The Dead....Or Just Plain Lazy

2006-06-21T22:55:00.000-04:00

To all my peeps out in the blogosphere....wassup?

It has been a long time. Way too long. You probably thought I was either mauled by pandas or overdosed in chocolate. Well there is some truth to that. You would think that no one is buying chocolate but anyone in the gift industry will tell you, now is our busy season. You don't understand how messed up it feels to be getting ready for the Christmas season. All that's missing from the office is the holiday cards taped to the wall and the EZ rock station that blares from our phones playing Christmas tunes 24/7. Not looking forward to that at all. I'm barely getting use to the heat for gosh sakes.

If I'm not in the office then I'm on the beach playing beach volleyball. You'd think that I would be enjoying it but the people I'm playing with aren't meshing so it's kind frustrating. The plus side you ask? Sand in my ass.

Just came back from a trip to Chi-town for Father's day. It's kinda become a yearly tradition to spend this weekend with Drew, his dad and his step mom (as it is her birthday usually the same weekend). We head to Arlington Race Track in the suburbs of Chicago for a day of sun, food and bling. Drew's brother was missing this year as he is backpacking in Asia right now.

This week is Pride week in Toronto and all is quiet (maybe just here in Scarborough) but hoping to have a good weekend by not planning at all and just seeing what this weekend brings.

Ok, so I've bombarded you with info about my life.

It's nice to be back and I'll try to post more often. Unless I get mauled by pandas.
A boy can dream, can't he?

Sucker For Bears

2006-05-05T22:23:00.000-04:00

Now here's a class I'd love to attend!

Classy Pooh!

2006-04-12T09:02:00.000-04:00

An ever deserving Winnie the Pooh received a star on Hollywood's walk of fame! Congrats to the good ol' bear and I'm sure his friends will sure to follow. At least maybe Tigger as Piglet, Eeyore, et al. are considered supporting cast.

If anyone can find a pic of the whole gang during the walk of fame ceremony, please forward it my way.

Attack Of The Sick Kids

2006-04-07T12:58:00.000-04:00

At work we are allowed to listen to the radio through the phone network. The only condition is that it's on an EZ Rock station. It's not too bad but it can tend to get a bit monotonous. Sometimes you crave some change. I don't complain as I don't mind the music as background noise as our office is really quiet being so small and no real chatty cathys.

The past 3 days have been a nightmare as they have their annual Sick Kids Radiothon. Sick Kids is a hospital that specializes in children's health care. It is an amazing hospital and I'm all for supporting the hospital but the Radiothon has the hosts blubbering every 5 minutes over stories of success stories as well as not so successful stories. Then to top it off they only play 1 or 2 full songs but the rest are really heartbreaking songs mixed in with sob stories. Now usually I'm a softie and if I was at home listening to it I'd be blubbering along with them but it's not the best idea to be blubbering at work and getting snot all over the desk. And 3 days? Good lord it's enough to make me call and donate just to get them off the air.

Honestly I hope that Sick Kids raises a lot of funds as they deserve it (they've also recently released a lottery for Sick Kids that is all the trend with all the other hospitals) but they don't need to shove a kid who is going through chemotherapy reading the telephone number as that's all they have the strength to say.

Maybe I should be one of the poor souls they showcase on the radiothon for listening to them for 3 days.

Bring On The Pink

2006-04-03T11:49:00.000-04:00

It's a rainy Monday morning, cold and windy. We've just lost an hour as we had to set the clocks ahead an hour so I'm not too pleased about that. So what do I do when life gets grey and gross?

I immerse myself in some shallow reading.

Nothing like reading the fabulous (and not so fabulous) lives of celebraties.

"Pink is the new blog"

The site endorsed by Xander B.

Bombs and Boobs

2006-04-03T11:36:00.000-04:00

Here are two extremes of what's going on in Canada:

A mysterious explosion rocks a Tim Hortons. Scary stuff.

And we couldn't find a more prominent Canadian to host the Junos (Canada's version of the Grammys) other than Pam Anderson.

Fittingly, the best, most memorable moment of the night, period, belonged to Calgarian and one-time Juno host Jann Arden, who is, the antithesis of all that Pamela Anderson is -- in all of the right ways.

Prior to presenting an award, the local artist took a shot at Anderson and her earlier speech, noting Arden's brassiere was made entirely from seal eyelids.

Where's a seal clubber when you need one?

Stack Humor

2006-02-21T11:42:00.000-05:00

Drew and I were in Nordstrom Rack looking at shoes. The shoes are displayed by size and only the right shoe of the pair are displayed. As I was trying a shoe on, this was overheard in one of the other shoe stacks:

"How come only the people with one foot get all the sales?".

Valentine Victorious!

2006-02-20T11:00:00.000-05:00

There are a few things in life that you can count yourself lucky to be a part of. Three years ago The House Theatre of Chicago came up with a 3 part play called the Valentine Trilogy.

You can find a quick outline of all 3 plays here.

I was lucky enough to see the 2nd part and I bought the DVD of the first part. The third installment did not disappoint!

I think that I couldn't do it justice by describing the plays or even trying to explain it but it truly has been one of the best live theatre experiences that I've ever had. I flew all the way to Chicago to see it for gosh sakes. (Well, in all fairness to see Drew too).

I definitely recommend buying the DVDs (I can't wait for the 3rd one to come out) but it will never replace seeing it live.

FIGHT EVIL!!!!

Culture In Chicago

2006-02-20T10:35:00.000-05:00

I'm here in Chicago and it's FREEZING cold. Almost to the point where it's "too cold to go to the mall". So Drew and I are trying to find things to do that are indoors and require us to stay indoors for quite some time. So we quickly ventured off to the Chicago Cultural Center where they had 3 exhibits that we checked out:

1. Fresh From Julieanne's Garden: Sculpture by Preston Jackson

2. Los Carpinteros: Inventing the World / Inventar el mundo

3. Situation Comedy: Humor in Recent Art

Julieanne's Garden was filled with sculptures made of bronze depicting his Southern Illinois roots, and the Los Carpinteros exhibit was filled with art made by Cuban artists that playfully mixed carpentry and art.

The 3rd exhibit was filled with art that injected humor into them. There were 3 examples that stood out for me. There was a video monitor where a woman dressed in a cheerleader's outfit and adorned with gold jewellwery lip syncing the noises of a car alarm. There was a stage created with a mic, monitors and seating for a crowd where anyone could go up, reading jokes from a prompter and get a pre recorded drum joke ender (not sure what it's called). The 3rd example was another video monitor where Michael Jackson's "Working Day and Night" played and a set of breasts jiggled and swayed to the music. Gives new meaning to the term "Boob tube". (insert drum crash here).

Whass happenin'?

2006-02-05T23:07:00.000-05:00

Mood =

Watching = CSI Miami

Last week I was working the Canadian Gift & Tableware Assosiation Gift Show.

Trade shows are really interesting. Just imagine 2 huge warehouse buildings filled with tonnes and tonnes of crap. Ok, I might be exagerating just a bit, but not much. It wasn't that busy but I was told that attendence was up. I stood around trying to sell our chocolates. As you can tell my excitement is pretty evident. (I'm not much of a sales person). I was able to walk around and check out the show and they did have some nice things but nothing to write about.

If that wasn't tiring enough I'm in the middle of packing all my things as I'm moving next month. The house is looking like a war zone but at least we are throwing a lot of things out. Yay!

Onward ho!

Let The Leg Humpin' Begin!

2006-01-02T19:45:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year Y'all!

It has been way too long. It's been a busy winter and there is no sign of slowing down (yet). But it's all good.

Highlights for the holiday festivities include lots and lots of eating and major chillaxing.

Drew flew up for 2 fam jams in one night, then I headed down to Chi-town for 5 days.
It culminated with some major booty shaking with DJ Diplo spinning the wheels of steel at the Viaduct Theatre.

Then for New Year's eve it was an all out Keifer Sutherland marathon with Season 4 of 24 breaking only to watch Mariah Carey rip into the new year along with Dick Clark post stroke. Oh my!

So what does the year of the Dog bring for this dragon? Only time will tell but I know it will be a howling good time. Keep posted!

Ready to go to Confession

2005-11-13T22:27:00.000-05:00

"Dance and sing get up and do your thing!"

We all waited with anticipation for the ultimate DIVA's return to the dancefloor.
Clicking my heels to the beat of the bass.

2 more days until it's time to confess!

From Here To Kalamazoo

2005-10-08T10:12:00.000-04:00

In hopes of saving money I decided to drive down to Chicago for the Thanksgiving long weekend (at least for us Canucks). I'm used to driving to Montreal (which is about 4 hours depending on how heavy your foot is) and I've enjoyed driving to New Hampshire and New York City. So it made sense to try Chicago. The trip is supposed to be 8 hours and some change but I thought I would be more cautious and give it 10 hours. Besides if I made it there in less than 10 then it would feel like an acomplishment.

I left work early and was on the road by 2 pm. There was traffic getting out of the city but I made it to the Michigan border within 3 hours. The interesting stories begin in Michigan. The only "land mark" I came across was the infamous 8 Mile Road. For those unfamiliar, 8 Mile is a loaded phrase. It means more than the street that marks the northern edge of Detroit. 8 Mile Road divides city from suburb, blacks from whites, lower class from middle class. The east-west artery has been emblematic of the hostility and social ills that beset the city three decades ago — and later cities across the country — and that still linger along pockets of the eight-lane road. More recently it was made famous by Eminem who made a movie about growing up there. I didn't stop to take in the scenery but I passed by it definitely had to give my "big-ups" when passing.

Being in a car for a long period of time your mind starts to wander. I tend to notice all the rude and bad drivers. So I call them jerks. I just think the word is funny sounding especially towards the women drivers as the word jerk has a masculine association. There was however one "king of all the jerks". The left hand lane of the 3 lane highway was ending due to construction a good mile up ahead. The car in front of me was slowing down even stopping. I looked ahead and saw no cars in front of him. He was stopping traffic so no one could "cut" in front of him to merge to the next lane as there was a large semi truck beside us. I drove on the shoulder and proceeded to look at him in disbelief. I watched him in my rearview mirror for the entire time and he continued to do this right until the end of the lane. Really, what was this guy thinking? Ugh.

The rest of the drive was uneventful save for me belting out tunes along with what was playing on the CD player. I did pass two towns in Michigan of interest. One was Climax, and the other was Kalamazoo. I knew that Kalamazoo existed but it just sounds made up like Chatanuga or Walawala.

So now I'm in Chicago on this very cold weekend. Have a great weekend y'all.

Why Oprah should be president...

2005-09-23T23:06:00.000-04:00

Not only is Oprah donating 10 million dollars of her own money to the victims of Katrina, she has set up her Angel Network to act like a gift registry. Instead of just donating money and not knowing where the funds are going, you can actually purchase items within the house that people need.

Just brilliant.

Couldn't the government with all the manpower they have come up with something as simple but as ingenious as that? Probably not. Too busy fighting the war in Iraq.

Hey, make it warm first!

2005-09-23T22:44:00.000-04:00

Can anyone come up with a great caption for this great pic?

From the Washington Zoo website:

"The cub took a step yesterday! He lifted himself up and was swaying on all four legs when he suddenly took a step forward and fell on his face. After all the effort, he immediately fell asleep."

Jumping Mexicans and Gun Tooting Jamaicans

2005-09-19T23:35:00.000-04:00

I'm itching to delete my last blog. For one, there are no links and for two, it feels forced as I have been slacking in the blogging department.

But time is passing and I need to add an entry. So here is a doozie:

On one of my first days at work, I was asked to call applicants for the factory part of Saxon's. The company is in a predominantly East Indian community and that is who apply for the factory work. East Indian women. They are paid minimum wage hourly. Many can't speak English and don't have much experience so most take factory work.

As I went through the application something strange had continually popped up. Many of the applicant's last names were Patel. There were so many that it couldn't have been just a coincidence, it couldn't be the same people applying again and again, and they possibly couldn't be all related. I was told by Drew that Patel is a really common last name. Like Smith. I was shocked and disappointed for my friend Lalita (sorry babe!)

2 weekends ago was my friend Dave's birthday. The night consisted of going to a Mexican restaurant called El Jacalito in the west end of the city. I wasn't sure what to expect as I had been told there was a "show" as well. I entered a dark basement into a darkly lit room with colourful tacky decorations. The dinner was a buffet (killer fried rice with plantine...mmmmm) and then the "show" started. There were dances from certain parts of Latin America, followed by an honest to goodness Mariachi band. To make the crowd feel like part of the show, they made all the birthday people get up on the dance floor to learn a dance. Dave bravely went up and to his shock, dismay and horror, he was the only male. Imagine, a gay man surrounded by straight women. What a trooper!

They danced a simple choreographed dance to "La Cucaracha" starting off slow and going faster and faster (kinda like the chicken dance). Then as a prize the birthday people got a small cake with a candle in it. We all sang something in Spanish and they blew out their candles. Afterwards, we headed down to O'Grady's for some drinks. Ole!!!

Then today as I headed to Monday night volleyball I got into a cab and the cabbie began to make small talk. His small talk consisted of informing me that the recent increase in gun violence was due to the "fucked up Jamaicans" who were unlike the Anglo Saxons (and the Chinese apparently) who had 1000 of years with the mentality of playing the game and taking care of each other. Apparently the Jamaicans have had only a few hundred years of civilization and they need a lot of catching up to do. Also, the fact that Jamaicans all come from broken homes is part of the problem. Let me tell you dear reader, if I were not in such a rush I would have argued with the man. That or opened the door while the vehicle was moving and jumped out.
A bit of a wake up call.

Maybe the Fall can bring some peace

2005-08-30T22:23:00.000-04:00

This summer has been rampant with disaster. Alicia Ross goes missing, the city has been plagued with a string of shootings, and Hurricane Katrina has damaged the south. Personally, I think Alicia's boyfriend is the main suspect, the shootings have increased DUE to the increased media coverage and Katrina is just a bitch.

So what do I do to cope with all this madness? I get a job at Saxon Chocolates, I watch the Panda Cam on the Washington National Zoo webpage and I prepare for a visit from Drew. He's coming up for the Labour Day weekend and I'm really excited.

So no matter how tough life gets, just remember there's alwyas chocolates and pandas.

Marching On

2005-08-14T16:35:00.000-04:00

I had 2 interviews on Wednesday after sending out my applications on Monday. The first job was a business to business marketing/promotions position. They made it sound like an entry level position but in reality it was pretty much telemarketing without phones. Just going from office to office offering upgrades of products they already have.

The second was for a dating website up at Yonge and Finch. The "office" had a reception area that was still under construction, 2 rooms and 3 employees. There was an interview and then a written test. I don't think I did too well on the written part but I'm not too worried. My experience from this is not to jump at the first offers I get and to apply to jobs that I may really enjoy and not just I can do.

So the search continues.

(Fish) Hotel Michigan

2005-08-08T15:37:00.000-04:00

Great Chicago accomodations for your next visit.

I wonder what room service is like and if they serve any seafood?

Xander And The Chocolate Factory

2005-08-08T15:34:00.000-04:00

I'm finally applying for jobs. Yay for me! Back to the real world.

I applied for a position in a chocolate factory. That made applying for jobs bearable. I forgot to put bon bon fanatic under my resume. Damn!

Hella Hot

2005-07-19T00:30:00.000-04:00

The next person that complains about the heat I'm gonna punch in the face. Including myself cuz it is frickin' humid.

Canadian Culture?

2005-07-18T23:52:00.000-04:00

I know that our culture is difficult to pinpoint but come on now.........this is just plain lazy.

X Marks Xander Pt Trois

2005-07-18T23:30:00.000-04:00

Where would you find 7 gay men and 1 straight lady on a Friday night? Hooter's of course! It was Big Bookend's birthday on Saturday so he wanted to celebrate it at Hooter's. His excuse is that he really likes the wings and has a fascination with breasts. My excuse is all the cute jocks that go to Hooter's. ;)

We had a hootie-licious time with tonnes of incriminating pictures. The birthday boy ended up wearing an apron with fake breasts on them and standing on a chair while the Hooter's girls sang "Happy Birthday".

The rest of the evening was supposed to be at a cougar bar called Chick N' Deli but that is where I drew the line.

The 16th was Viv and Kim's 1st anniversary (Happy Anniversary ladies!) and the release of the new Harry Potter book. I ordered mine through Amazon.ca and I'm just waiting for it in the mail.

I can't wait!

X Marks Xander Pt Deux

2005-07-18T23:15:00.000-04:00

So how do I celebrate Canada Day this year? Very patriotically by watching Batman Begins at the local cineplex with my moms. One of the best Batmans ever.

Then the weekend after I went to a beach volleyball tournament at Wasaga Beach. Wasaga Beach is about 2 hours northwest of Toronto on the coast of Nottawasaga Bay. (I kid you not, that's what it's called).

One of player's sister owned a restaurnt called Windy O'Neils and a condo in Collingwood (just 30 mins away) so that is where we stayed. It's located in a cute ski village called Blue Mountain.

We played from 8 am to 5 pm on Saturday. It was sunny all day, hot (not humid) and kinda windy which helped cool us down (not to mention running into the bay after every game). We played 10 games on Saturday. That evening we had dinner at Windy's and the rest of the team drank the night away.

We were almost late for our first game on Sunday and we played another 8 games but didn't make into the top 8 teams who would go to the quarterfinals. We stayed to watch a pro men's final (2 on 2) and then headed home. I think I have seen enough sun and sand for quite a bit.

X Marks Xander

2005-07-18T22:38:00.000-04:00

I have 3 weeks of blogging to catch up with. It starts with Sunday Pride.

I met Brent for lunch. We went to the Green Mango on Yonge. A great place for some Thai at a reasonable price.

We then met the boys along the parade route. The weather was hella hot but not humid. The parade this year was not as commercial as it once was. The focus was more on the community and cultural groups which was awesome. I hope they continue this trend. The boys were looking forward to the Polar Ice float (which had the "hottest", buffed, half naked men on it) but this year it was sad. 3 guys and Sofanda Cox the local drag queen.

After that disappointment it was off to the beer tents. It was so packed that I almost felt closterphobic (especially after standing in the sun for 3 hours) I took off with Dan to get some grub.

We then met up with Brent again and we headed off to Block-o-rama (the urban area) but we stopped dead in our tracks to listen to a group of drummers in the Free Zone. We ended up staying there for the end of the performance. The group went down into the crowd and then into the street. We found out in the end that they were about 20 dynamic percussionists, that plays Afro-Brazilian rhythms in a traditional style inherited from the maracatu nations of Recife Brazil called Maracatu Nunca Antes. They were pheonomenal!!!

We went to Block-o-rama for some reggae dancing, then Brent and I headed to O'Grady's for some drinks and dancing (the parking lot beside the restaurant is the most popular beer tent so the music spills over). We tried to look for the rest of the boys but they were still in one of the busy beer tents so we went into a small parking lot beside Cellblock and danced the night away. We finished at 11 pm where Brent and I decided to check out Big Primpin at the Courthouse
Most of the people there were posers so we made it an early night. But that had to be one of the best Prides I had been to and I almost didn't go!

Shell Shock

2005-07-06T19:18:00.000-04:00

I've been in hiding from the world. At first I thought I was enjoying my time off but it's lasted way too long (I thought it might be depression or a mental breakdown).

I'm lucky to be surrounded by loving and amazing friends and family (and a swell boyfriend) who are constantly kicking my ass and won't let me fall completely into oblivion.

I haven't found a job yet but I am finally working on my resume and hopefully I can get out of this crazy funk.

Thanks to those who have been so patient and understanding. Y'all are my rock!!!!

Happy Pride!

2005-06-22T01:41:00.000-04:00

This week is Pride Week. I'm not sure what my plans are for this weekend. I'm proud to be out but not too psyched about the whole trying to find something to do aspect of it all. I'm not a circuit boy or parade goer (as it tends to be really long, incredibly hot and for the most part boring parade).

It might be a total celebration though as the Federal bill for same sex marriages is going for it's final vote this week. There is talk that it might be held over until the fall but the country is definitely has it's eyes on Ottawa.

I'll keep you posted.

Let It Ride!

2005-06-22T01:13:00.000-04:00

It's a bit belated but to all the father's in the world, happy Father's Day!

I was in Chi-town this past weekend and I had a blast. I was a bit nervous as it was the first time I was going to meet Drew's brother Josh. I had limited dealings with Josh through email and our blogs but I still had my own preconceived notions of what he was going to be like and I really wanted to get along well with him.

Arrived at O'Hare without losing my luggage (which I did the same time last year) but not making it in time to say hi to Drew's dance teacher Boogie. Instead I met Josh and later Drew at Opart Thai House. We had a great dinner (can't really go wrong with Thai) and walked back to Drew's house. We proceeded to chill for most of the night watching Team America (pretty funny).

The next morning we headed out to pick up our rental car and drive out to the Arlington Raceway to meet Drew's and Josh's dad Warner and step mom Toni.

The day was sunny and warm with a slight breeze (enough to cool us off). We watched 9 of the 10 races (we were there for 5 hours and it didn't feel like it). It would be nice to make it a yearly tradition but next time we plan on bringing a picnic.

We drove back home (taking a bit of a scenic route aka a bit lost) and caught in some heavy duty traffic but we finally made it home. Chilled a bit at home and headed out to the Lava Lounge to meet up with Drew's friend Rosemary for her 30th Birthday!
We didn't stay very long as it had been a very long day. Josh went back to the appartment to rest while Drew and I went dancing at Big Chicks.

The next day we woke up pretty late, Josh was up pretty early talking to United Airlines to see if he couldn't get an earlier flight back home (his scheduled arrival to Newark was midnight yikes!). So we said our goodbyes and Josh walked Drew to the bus station. Drew and I then had brunch, took a nap and headed out to Grant Park for the summer dance festival in the park. Again the day was beautiful and we would be crazy not to spend it outside. As the evening came, we decided to rent a movie and order Thai take out. Had dinner, finished the movie and called it a night.

I headed out to the airport the next morning and slept the whole flight. No other way to travel!

I do hope that this become an annual event, I am definitely looking forward to it.

Almost Perfect Musical

2005-06-13T20:42:00.000-04:00

I know that there are some out there that share this one dream.........to stand up on a stage, have the spotlight pointed only to you....the audience is silent and finally it's time to sing that first note. Musical theatre.

Dan and I went on Sunday afternoon to see Perfect Life The Musical. A local musical set in Toronto and Alberta about a gay guy who meets up with his old college friend. They were a little more than friends in college and the main character is hoping to capture that romance again. But the other guy has not come out of the closet and is actually engaged to be married to a woman. Hijinks and hilariousness ensues.

The musical was written and composed by Jet Matas (he is also starring in the lead role).

The music was really catchy and the lyrics though not very strong was still very good.

If you are in TO try to see it or hopefully it will become popular and come to a town near you.

First Of The Last Days

2005-06-10T11:43:00.000-04:00

I mentioned here a few weeks ago that I was on the verge of leaving my job. I gave my notice about a month ago but the powers that be told me to hold off as they might find some sort of compromise or offer that we both could be happy with. Well my legal two week notice deadline came up and I officially handed it in two weeks ago. These last two weeks more talk of "we might have something" arose but nothing materialized. So today is my last day. I put off writing about it because I didn't want to make it a reality. I too thought that there would be a 23rd hour solution that would benefit me and the company. I was wrong.

It's weird to make such a big deal about this job. It wasn't a career, it just paid the bills. But I find myself feeling sentimental and nostalgic about this place. I've been here for almost 5 years but it feels like a lifetime. I've seen people come and go and have changed offices at least 3 or 4 times and have had 3 "positions" within the company.

I don't regret my decision. I've been really fortunate to listen to my inner voice when he's said "it's time to go". So I don't doubt that this is the right thing to do. What I do worry about is that many have told me that I might have gone about it the wrong way (I quit without finding another job) but everytime I mentioned it to people they give me this strange look of "are you out of your friggin mind?". Sometimes I think I'm too impulsive and act without really thinking about it. To be honest the idea of not having a safety net has been scary as hell, stressful, and nerve wracking but really exciting and exhilirating. I don't know where I'm going. I don't know if I'll land on my feet. I do know that this is the path that I have chosen and right now that's all that matters.

Not Da Bomb!

2005-06-08T13:12:00.000-04:00

I read this story from Drew's blog.

All I can say is eeeeeewwwww.

1st Communion

2005-06-03T15:30:00.000-04:00

It was my goddaughter's 1st communion last weekend. Here she is with her mom. Ain't she a little angel?

I felt so bad for her though as her and her other communion-ites were bored to tears with the whole thing and I totally remember being bored when I had my first communion. Come to think of it, going to a Catholic service is not that exciting at all.

We did however all look forward to the Strawberry cream cake waiting at home! Yum!

Waddling Along

2005-06-03T15:21:00.000-04:00

So here continues my fascination with penguins.

It looks too adorable to miss.

Taking A Bite Out Of The Big Apple

2005-05-24T11:57:00.000-04:00

It's hard to grasp how exhausting driving can be until you actually go for a long drive. This past weekend I drove 9 hours (not with about 3 stops, so not too bad) to New York City.

Torontonians have two options when driving down to NYC. They can either go around the lake (head west, around Lake Ontario and east through Buffalo) or head east towards Kingston, Ontario and then straight down south.

My friend Chris suggested I take the Kingston route as it was faster and more gay (ie scenic, although I'm not sure how we got the exclusivity on scenery). It truly was a beautiful ride down Interstate 81 south through some really tall green hills and valleys. I couldn't believe I was in New York State. I never associated New York State with picturesque.

The ride was smooth until I tried to reach my first destination of East Rutherford New Jersey. I thought that Buffalo was the armpit of America. I was mistaken. It's NJ. A lot of easter NJ is highway and industrial (is that swamp lands that I saw?).
I tried to get some directions but the directions I received were partial and incomplete. I ended up calling The Sheraton where we were staying to get directions. The hotel could only be reached by making a few loops around the highway. The hotel though was really nice. The rooms were clean, huge and the beds were soooooooooooo comfortable.

There were no restaurants near by but the hotel did provide a list of restaurants and directions to get there. We decided to go to TGI Friday's. It was about a 10 minute drive and pretty easy to find with the directions given but hard to get to as it was on the other side of the road we were on and there was a median that blocked any cars from getting there. I had to drive a few blocks up to make a U turn. The food was really good (I had the Jack Daniel's chicken) so that was ok. That's when the rain hit. I was hoping to get into NYC for a brief stroll but it wasn't looking like it.

I drove back to the hotel and waited the rain out. By 9 pm I decided to go rain or shine. I took the hotel shuttle to a bus stop. I took the NJ transit into NYC (about a 20 min ride) entering the Lincoln tunnel and landing at the Port Authority Bus Station. It had stopped raining and there were a lot of people on the street. It was a quick walk into Times Square, Rockefeller Center and then down 6th Ave. At this point I decided that it wasn't safe to be travelling too far that late so I took the NJ transit back to the hotel. (the NJ transit was not the easiest thing to figure out and the last information person left at 12 am).

The next morning I checked out and drove into Manhattan (which was an adventure on its own) to the Skyline Hotel. I parked the car (it was too early to check in) and headed downtown. I took the subway down to Ground Zero to see the plans for what was to replace the WTC.

Had a great lunch (pasta in a vodka sauce) which was a huge portion and really cheap! Walked down to Trinity Church, lit a candle for my dad, and headed down Broadway to Battery Park.

My mom and aunt wanted to take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty but the line was crazy long. My aunt did take a pic with a person in a Statue of Liberty outfit (sunglasses and all) which was a howl.

We then took a cab to South Street SeaPort. There was a Latin festival thrown by a local radio station and all you could hear was the Reggaeton band consisting of 3 hunky dancing males being overwhelmed by the young screaming ladies.

Took another cab to Broadway and Canal Street to check out the merchandise. The streets were crazy packed where you could hardly move. It was just too hectic for my companions and then it began to rain so we decided to take the subway back to the hotel and check in.

Checked in, rested for a bit and then me and my cousin Melanie headed down to village and do some more shopping. We were also going to try to walk back up to Macy's but at that point my feet were killing me. Took the subway (where we watched 3 men breakdancing) to Macy's. Saw Macy's for like 2 seconds and decided it wasn't that interesting. Took the subway back to the hotel. Rested for a bit again and headed to dinner to Pam Real Thai Food on 49th St and 9th Ave. The food was REALLY good. I love Thai! Definitely recommend it.

Headed back to the hotel, slept and woke up early to check out and get on the road. We had brunch at Hibernia Diner Restaurant(9 Green Pond Road, Rockaway, NJ). It was a nice big brunch. We were making good time (I decided to map our route back from a map and not Google maps) when we decided to stop in Pennsylvania at a Outlet mall. Spent about 2 hours there and headed out again.

The sun was out so the scenic I-81 view was really nice. It started to rain in northern New York State but cleared once we got into Canada. There was traffic on the 401 back to Toronto (it was a long weekend) and finally made it home by 8 pm. I had a great time but let's just say I won't be long driving for awhile.

Tip for those using Google Maps: Make sure that the route that is given to you exists on a current map! Besides that, Google Maps rock!

Beach Bum

2005-05-10T10:44:00.000-04:00

Yesterday the Toronto East Sports and Social Club offically started the beach volleyball season. Hundreds flocked to Ashbridge's Bay for fun and frolick. The weather during the morning was quite warm but unfortunately during the evening temperatures dropped dramatically.

I'm glad I'm not the only nutjob who braved the cold sand and wind to play some beach volleyball. Our team name is Rebel Scum (I didn't choose the name!) and we had 5 twenty minute games. We won them all! (The last one we won by default).

Great way to start the season. I know that we will endure a few more weeks of cold weather on the beach (ugh) but hey like I always say "Mental health is overrated".

Happy Belated "O" Day!

2005-05-10T10:38:00.000-04:00

The Mayor of Esperantina, Brazil made May 9th Orgasm Day.

Let's hope that they let the city have the day off to celebrate.

Wouldn't that be a great long weekend to celebrate. LOL.

Bring On The BBQs!

2005-05-09T12:42:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was one of the nicest (weather wise) weekends in quite awhile. On Friday we went to a big fam jam (my brother's Godfather's 65th birthday) in a church hall.

There were at least a hundred people there (if not more). I thought it was going to be another boring "adult" event but surprisingly I had a great time.

The dinner was a catered buffet of Filipino food. It was REALLY tasty. During dinner they had a talented Filipina girl sing some jazzy standards. After dinner there was a short program consisting of a solo Hawaiian dance, a solo modern jazz/tap/hip hop dance and a pop solo piano number all performed by various young family members.

The finale was a slide show of the birthday boy from a youth to present set to Frank Sinatra's "My Way".

The birthday "boy" said a few words and thanks in a cute heavily accented speech.

That's when the dancefloor was opened to the crowd for traditional "wedding songs" (ie cheesy dance songs played at every wedding)

The highlight was my goddaughter Pamela, who is turning 7, reminding me how to do the Macarena and the two of us (and her sister Isabelle) running to a hidden corner in the hall to teach them how to do the YMCA! LOL. We didn't stay long (we all practically bolted from there) carrying as much leftovers as we could. Yum!

Sunday was Mother's day and man did the BIG GUY decide to smile down on us. It was so sunny and warm that we could hang out outside. There was a small fam jam at Pamela's house. Yummy BBQ and most of the afternoon we were playing badminton. Pamela is going to be a really good player. Not as good as her godfather though. hehehe.

The only time we took a break was to eat, drink water and make a quick Dairy Queen Blizzard run. By the end of the day we were pooped. I'm declaring that BBQ season has started! Bring it on!

I Guess I Can't Argue With This

2005-05-04T11:04:00.000-04:00

American Cities That Best Fit You:

90% Chicago

75% New York City

75% Philadelphia

55% Los Angeles

55% Washington, DC

Which American Cities Best Fit You?

The Progress of Homeland Security

2005-05-03T16:17:00.000-04:00

This is such a cute friggin story!

Is it any surprise that it happened in Denver? Maybe one of the security guards just finished watching the Batman movie.

I feel safer already.

The Guards Need To Be Changed

2005-04-29T12:50:00.000-04:00

I always gave myself 5 years for each job I've been at before I move on. I've been at my current job for a little over 4 years and I have reached the end here. I'm now actively looking for a job and dreading giving my notice but it has to be done. It has gotten to the point where I DREAD going to work. ugh.

Time to dust off that resume and get out into the rat race once again.

I'm throwing comfort and security out the window. Wish me luck!

God Help Us All

2005-04-21T13:23:00.000-04:00

I've been trying to avoid writing about the new Pope as the media is still devouring the last morsels of the carcas of the Papal Vote so it's all over the place. All I really wanted to say is that there were some of us hoping and praying that the new Pope would be, if not liberal, at least more compassionate and really more in touch with today's people and society.

Seeing how the Cardinals are predominantly OLD WHITE MEN, then our chances were slim to none. And for the ashes arises Joseph Ratzinger aka Benedict XVI. He was John Paul's right hand man and a staunch conservative. He was even more conservative and militant than John Paul. So all we can do is sit back and watch what our new Pope does. I'm not holding my breath that any of my prayers will be answered.

Wickedly Good

2005-04-21T12:35:00.000-04:00

"It's not easy being green" - Kermit the frog

Last night Dan and I went to go see Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of OZ.

Let me tell you dear reader that if you are a fan of musical, this is one to see! The story is a wonderful tale of friendship and the power of love!

With major themes of tolerance for differences and perspectives on the truth, this musical is a multilayered treat. Not to mention the great catchy musical numbers, wonderful dancing and beautiful sets.

In the end you come out of the theatre flying high "defying gravity".

Crazy Pussy!

2005-04-08T13:32:00.000-04:00

A great story from the Gothamist.

Eh, forgetaboutit!

The Face of EVIL

2005-03-22T14:30:00.000-05:00

Nancy Grace is a closed minded bitch. But makes for great TV. ugh.

Where are the cute puppy stories?

2005-03-22T10:52:00.000-05:00

I know that kittens stuck in trees or good samaratans helping little old ladies is not very captivating but we need some happy news right now.

The news has been bombarded with the Schiavo case, the murder of little Jessica Lunsford, the school shooting at Red Deer, Minnesota and the molestation case against Michael Jackson.

It's all very sad and depressing. What we need is a balance. A newstation dedicated to happy uplifting stories in the world. It would never fly and that's why I'm not in the TV business.

Time to find me some stories about puppies.

Space Cookies

2005-03-18T06:08:00.000-05:00

I've never been a big pot smoker, but I've never put anyone down for it (unless you're a chronic burnout but even then....)
I actually prefer pot to either alcohol or cigarettes as far as vices are concerned. For the longest time I was a virgin pot smoker but very interested in trying it out. So I finally got a chance to do it last year (where it actually affected me) and that was fun. I was more than willing to try it again.

I got the opportunity to do so this past weekend. But instead of smoking it, a friend had made "space cookies". When I saw them my first reaction was "sweet! this is a much nicer alternative than smoking.....yummy tasty cookies".

So Friday night I had a cookie. Drew suggested that I have it before dinner that way it would have time to take affect on me.
Boy was he right. It hit me like a tonne of bricks. It must have been a strong batch as I had never felt like that before. It felt like being really drunk.

Watching TV was a trip as the picture felt and looked like it was skipping frames and it was really hard to focus. Speaking was very hard to do.

I assumed that if I lay still for awhile it would subside (like being dizzy or drunk) but man the room would not stop spinning. I was worried that it would never end. It felt like it would never end. My only choice was to close my eyes and hope that it would pass or I would pass out.

Of course before I passed out, I threw up a few times (either from bad food or just the constant spinning) but after sleeping it off I felt better.

I wouldnt really consider this a negative experience, neither a positive one, just an experience, It hasn't turned me off pot (although I may not be doing it for awhile and besides it will be legal in Canada someday) although I hope that Pillsbury dough boy doesn't start dealing.

Not getting jiggy with Miami

2005-03-18T05:53:00.000-05:00

It's 5:30 in the morning (who knew there was a 5:30 in the morning?), the sun is still not up and I'm sitting with a bunch of tired and sad looking people. Most of us don't look like morning people. I'm at Pearson International airport waiting for a 7:15 am flight to Miami. I'm actually not complaining about having to wake up at 4 this morning (after going to bed at 12) or even the 3 hour flight to Miami. What I'm complaining about is the LAYOVER that I'm sooooo looking forward to in Miami. 6 hours. I'm glad I have my laptop to keep me sane but this will really be a test of my patience (and maybe my sanity!)

The layover is for my trip to Panama. Now before you hate me, it's for work. I have to go down to train a worker down there. (Although I'm telling people I'm going down there for a porno shoot). I'm there for a whole week! The flight is paid for and the hotel is paid for (now you can start to hate me) and there are people down there that I used to work with so this is going to be an intersting experience.

I will keep y'all posted on my trip. Hopefully with some pictures too!

We Were Board...Never Boring

2005-03-15T22:49:00.000-05:00

A BIG enthusiastic thumbs up for an AMAZING board game called Hoopla. From the creators of Cranium, this game is a fast paced collabrative game that draws upon many skills.

Even if just two people are playing it is a fun time. I can't wait to play again!

The Village Goes To Red Lobster

2005-03-07T14:18:00.000-05:00

My lil bro is now the big 2-0!

Just can't believe it. Happy Birthday J!

It's all Cricel's Birthday.

It will also be my Tita Beth's Birthday tomorrow! She is ......well never mind.

Last night "the village" went to Red Lobster to celebrate. It took them over an hour to get 13 of us seated. I'm not sure it was worth an hour waiting but it was some good seafood. We did get 2 plates of calamari on the house so that was nice.

Funny story of the evening..... someone ordered a fish and shrimp dinner but only got fish. What the people did not realize when ordering was that fish and shrimp was not a meal/dish you could order, it was the title of all the fish or shrimp dinners available.

I'd love to hear some funny eating out stories from y'all out there.

Playing With Balls

2005-03-07T12:37:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was the Toronto Spartan Volleyball League recreational tournament.

For those who know me, I'm addicted to volleyball. I play 3 times a week and pretty much any time I can get a chance.

It was a lot of fun and my team the SPIKEOPATHS played hard. It was our best tournament ever. The next tournament is in Montreal called Odyssee 2005 on the Easter weekend. So that's only a few weeks away.

This year the Montreal tournament has included other sports in preparation for next year's 1st World Out Games. The offical Gay Games was supposed to be in Montreal but with a disagreement with the Federation of Gay Games the Games are going to be held in Chicago. And Montreal has created their own event.

I'm torn between the two but I think I might try to do both. But we'll see. Wish me luck.

365 Days Left Until the next Oscar Snoozefest

2005-02-28T14:30:00.000-05:00

zzzzzzzzzzzz...........is it over yet? After 3+ hours the Oscars are finally over. The big winner was Clint Eastwood and Million Dollar Baby, and the loser again was Martin Scorsese and The Aviator. The guy can't get a break. Hillary Swank won best actress (upset heavy favorite Annette Benning) and Jamie Foxx for best actor.

Chris Rock was funny but subdued (as expected)

No need to watch a Tivo version if you missed it last night, you can read all about it here (much more entertaining as well):

From the CBC.

From the Chicagoist.

Sunshine All Around Me

2005-02-23T19:52:00.000-05:00

A few months ago I was on the King St. streetcar on my way home. At about Bay St. a mother and her child got on the streetcar and proceeded to sit behind me. The little girl had a pink winter jacket with her hood up and scarf tightly wrapped around her face to keep her warm.

I thought nothing of the pair until I heard the little girl talking. She had the cutest little voice, speaking small sentences but very articulate sentences (that's assuming that I thought she was quite a bit small and young to be speaking so well). Even though her sentences were clear, the topics weren't in any coherent order, with pretty much the first thing that came to her mind. Then she started singing. Not any particular song, just again her random thoughts but this time to a little melody.

I couldn't help but chuckle along with the other passangers around her.

She was so adorable that I had to call Drew in the hopes that he could hear her singing.

Fast forward to today. It's been a dreary winter with not very many days of sunshine. Today was a blessed exception. I thought I would be happy with just the sun out. Life had other plans. As I was going home on the King St. streetcar, luck would have that the same little girl got on the streetcar. I didn't get a look at her, but her voice was what gave her away. I was positive it was her.

I couldn't help but be excited at the fact that she was there again. What were the odds of that happening?

As I was stepping off the streetcar, I caught her saying, "I can smell lipstick. Can you smell lipstick?".

I stepped off that streetcar with the biggest smile on my face,

Working 9 to 5

2005-02-21T11:32:00.000-05:00

On a personal note, I have been informed by my boss that I will have a new position/responsabilities at work. I'm a bit nervous but a bit excited. I usually embrace change but this is the second time in 3 months that I have a new position/responsabilities.

I'll keep you posted.

Bald and Beautiful pt. 2

2005-02-21T11:25:00.000-05:00

Melissa Etheridge was on Dateline NBC last night.

She talked to Stone Phillips.

For part of the interview Melissa's wife Tammy came and talked to Stone as well. I hope America got to see how loving and strong their relationship was. Tammy is the rock to Melissa and brings her so much love, laughter and support.

Melissa showed America that she is a strong woman who survived cancer, can be beautiful bald and that she is a proud lesbian. Even when she doesn't mean to be, Melissa is an inspiration to us all.

Bald and Beautiful

2005-02-18T10:29:00.000-05:00

Melissa Etheridge "came out" at the 2005 Grammy's after being diagnosed with breast cancer. With no hair on her head, she rocked out Janis Joplins' "Another Piece of my heart" with Joss Stone.

A tear filled audience thundered applause and standing ovations for Melissa's strength and courage.

Bravo!

All Gobbled Out

2005-02-17T13:37:00.000-05:00

This is on the front page of the Toronto Sun newspaper:

They have been trying to salvage the 2004-2005 NHL season but they have exhausted all talks and the season is officially cancelled.

There are talks that, like baseball, hockey will have a hard time getting back the respect and love of the fans. I think hockey will have an easier time than baseball (at least in Canada) but it should be interesting to see what the NHL tries to do to win the fans back.

In the meantime TV is struggling to find things to fill the spaces of the televised games. They are going to try and hype up the other types of hockey games, baseball games and any other sports and the movies are going to be very testosterone laden.

Or maybe people will pick up a good book. The chances of that are as good as the hockey union accepting a salary cap.

Papa Bears

2005-02-16T15:35:00.000-05:00

Drew and I are proud ADOPTive (Animals Depend On People Too) parents of a cute little sun bear.

(This is NOT our bear, but a picture of a sun bear)

You can find our little one at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

The ADOPTion program is a great little way to help the zoo take care of the animals and keep it free to the public.

Drew gave me this gift for valentine's day and I must say that I love how unconvential it is and perfect as I do LOVE BEARS! (human and non human alike). You get a certificate and a picture of your ADOPTee.

If you are ever in the Chicago area and can stop by the Lincoln Park Zoo please do so and say hi to our little one.

I'll try to get a pic of the little guy and even a name.

Giddy as a school girl

2005-02-09T13:30:00.000-05:00

The Dawn and Drew show are getting major media in the last few days. From local papers to newpapers nationwide are picking up the story about the couple and podcasting.

Drew and I just can't get enough pictures of Drew Domkus as we both think he's really cute and just a bit star struck.

For some reason the gay boys just love him.

See for yourselves:

Deep Throating the system

2005-02-08T13:09:00.000-05:00

The controversial film "Deep Throat" is going to hit theatres again alongside a documentary called "Inside Deep Throat".

There are plans in Congress to try and stop this.

It seems that the government is getting closer and closer from allowing anyone to view what they want and express themselves. These are dangerous times indeed.

File Under WTF?!?!?

2005-02-08T10:55:00.000-05:00

From the minds of Germans.

Spread the word

2005-02-07T11:22:00.000-05:00

Podcasting is now growing in popularity. Anyone with a computer, the right hardware and software can record their own "talk show". Then they can post it on the internet for people to download to thier computers/mp3 players to listen to.

One such show that is growing in popularity is The Dawn and Drew show.

From the NY Times:

The unscripted “Dawn and Drew Show,” one of the most popular podcasts so far, is recorded in the living room of Ms. Miceli, an artist, and Mr. Domkus, who provides technical support for an office building in nearby Milwaukee. They play off each other like Abbott and Costello, with Mr. Domkus as the straight man and Ms. Miceli as the joker, continually cracking jokes and making off-the-wall comments (and sometimes venturing into sexual subject matter).

The chemistry is very palpable and for some reason they are just very compelling.

Definitely check them out!

Dirty Monkeys Everywhere

2005-02-07T10:54:00.000-05:00

On the bizarre tip from the Edmonton Sun:

Last week, scientists finally made the connection between man and ape by discovering that male monkeys will pay to watch monkey porn....

...Apparently, this research is being conducted in order to help advance the understanding of autism.

So next time you get in trouble guys for looking at porn just remember this:

...the "getting out of trouble hypothesis," which, to slightly paraphrase the guy who concocted it, went something like this: "One of the lab guys probably got into trouble for, uh, accidentally, uh, going on to one of those Internet pages, uh, or not so accidentally ... Anyways, he was in trouble and decided to prove to his wife that this type of thing was in our, I mean, his biological makeup. Well, I mean, these things are natural. Um, female butts are great to watch. Well, if you're a monkey ... "

And the next time people ask me what I do for a living, I'll say animal research.

Le Weekend

2005-02-06T23:44:00.000-05:00

It's really late on Sunday night and I'm just looking back on a somewhat full weekend. Friday night my competitive volleyball team had a practice. It was a good practice that left me very happy of our progress and proud of the boys hard work. We went for dinner afterwards at a pub.

Saturday I woke up early (grrrrr) to help Gene move. It had been his 3rd or 4th time moving (long story) but at least I was only there for the unpacking. It was pretty quick with 5 of us. It will be nice to have Gene closer to the city. Our reward was brunch at The Hot House. If you are ever in Toronto you definitely have to try brunch at The Hot House. It's a huge buffet brunch that is not quite gourmet but pretty close.

I ate so much that I didn't even have to eat dinner. OINK!!!!!

Oh, and The New England Patriots beat The Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl. Go Patriots!

Now I'm going to bed.

Winterlicious Indeed!

2005-02-03T15:30:00.000-05:00

I pulled on my parka and snowshoes and ventured out last night.

I got to hang out with my very good friend Dan. It had been quite awhile since we both hung out (he went home for the holidays to Edmonton and then on a business trip to Nicosia, Cypress).

Right now people in Toronto are going ga ga over The WinterCity festival and we wanted to take advantage of it. WinterCity is a way to promote the city by putting on events, and major discounts on restaurants and hotels.

Winterlicious
is what the restaurant discount is called. There are several high end restaurants who have prix fix lunch and dinner menus for $20-30 (which would normally cost a fortune any other time of the year). We went to the Bangkok Garden for some Thai. All I've got to say is mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Here is the menu:

Winterlicious Menu

$20 Dinner

Choice of:
Wok Steamed Mussels, Thai basil & chiles
or
Hot and Sour Soup, shrimp
or
Mango Salad, toasted coconut, lime & shallots
or
Chicken Satay, peanut sauce
or
Chicken Spring Roll, yellow chilli sauce

Choice of:
Crispy Tofu, bok choy, shitakes & ginger soy broth
or
Pattaya Grilled Beef, roasted garlic broth, crispy shallots & baby spinach
or
Phad Prik Gai, cashews
or
Roast Skate, Tom Kem, garlic pea shoots

Choice of:
Coconut Rice Pudding, poached mango
or
Banana Fritters, house made camomile honey ice cream

(beverages, taxes and gratuity not included)

After dinner we went to a new theatre works festival called Rhubarb.

Here is a listing of the plays (we missed the first two):

RUBY THE CLOWN IN...FLOOD
8pm, The Cabaret
by Becky Johnson and Sonia Norris
performed by Becky Johnson

Something huge and apocalyptic has happened. Abandoned at sea, lost and alone, Ruby searches for hope before falling off the edge of the map.

GETTING LUCKY
8pm, The Chamber
by Christian Lloyd
directed by Kim Blackwell
featuring Christian Lloyd and Gray Powell

The beauty in New Orleans can take your breath away...literally. On Tuesday, September 7th, 2004 at roughly 9:00 a.m., Christian Lloyd found himself waking up in the most dangerous neighbourhood in New Orleans with someone he didn't remember meeting. Anything can happen during Southern Decadence weekend. Inspired by true events.

(555) 555 5555
8:30pm, The Chamber
by Greg Kearney
directed by Ruby Rowan
featuring Brent Buchanan and Suzanne Bennett

Eleanor's had a difficult year. Today it got worse. Eleanor seeks help. A man arrives. A helping sort of man. He has Eleanor's number. And Eleanor hopes he calls it.

THE COLOUR OF MY HEART / EL COLOR DE MI CORAZON
9pm, The Cabaret
written and performed by Francisca Zentilli
directed by Kimahli Powell

How do we define ourselves? What happens when people refuse to see us the way we want to be seen? What colours who we are? Do we choose those colours ourselves? An osmosis of rich storytelling, challenging choreography and frightening physicality.

CRACK
9:30pm, The Cabaret
written and performed by Rob Baker
directed by Andrea Donaldson

It's a long walk (16 blocks each way.)
This is the third time you and I have made this trip tonight (96 blocks in all.)
Probably the fortieth time in the last two and a half months (1280 blocks!)
No one can tell me the addict doesn't get his exercise.

LOAD
10pm, The Chamber
by Salvatore Antonio
directed by David Oiye
featuring Salvatore Antonio and Jonathan Watton

A train. Two brothers. A coffin. A televised State Funeral, and a challenge. Nothing is sacred.

If you can check out any events during WinterCity, go to any restaurant participating in Winterlicious or see any Rhubarb play, then CALL ME!!!!!

I'm Toxic

2005-02-02T17:18:00.000-05:00

Toxic by Britney Spears

"It's getting late
To give you up
I took a sip
From my devil cup
Slowly
It's taking over me "

Ah, what's a year without breaking a few hearts? Literally.

What 2004 Hit Song Are You?

I can't deny I have a bit of Britney in me. ugh.

Yeah for the metric system!

2005-02-02T10:15:00.000-05:00

See, the metric system is good for something.

Buddha Belly

2005-02-01T13:21:00.000-05:00

With the new year comes the dreadful idea that creeps up after the holiday season. Losing weight. I used to be really thin back in the day. Now I'm much thicker. I could stand to lose 10 or 20 pounds. Not for asthetics but for health reasons.

Actually I really would like to just get a handle on my eating lifestyle. This is such a daunting task. I love food. No ifs ands or buts about it. And I equate food with comfort and sometimes love.

But today I started my journey into healthy eating. I know I will have some set backs and I have allowed myself some space for bad eating. And I know this will not be an overnight thing. But I will get through it successuflly. I'm pretty sure of that.

DAMN RICE!!!!!!!!

DAMN SWISS CHALET!!!!!

Remembering Nipplegate

2005-01-27T15:34:00.000-05:00

From The Onion:

As the nation approaches the one-year anniversary of the Super Bowl XXXVIII tragedy, an FCC study shows that millions of U.S. children were severely traumatized by the exposure to a partially nude female breast during the Feb. 1, 2004 halftime show.
Jackson irrevocably damages millions of American children.
Above: Jackson irrevocably damages millions of American children.

"No one who lived through that day is likely to forget the horror," said noted child therapist Dr. Eli Wasserbaum. "But it was especially hard on the children."

The Assassin Tour

2005-01-26T13:24:00.000-05:00

I'm going to see her at Massey Hall in March. I'm not ashamed to admit that I will be wearing some sort of diaper or bring an extra pair of underwear as I will definitely pee myself from laughter.

From her 2000 tour "I'm the one that I want":

And I went through this whole thing, you know. I was like: Am I gay? Am I straight? And I realized I'm just slutty. Where's my parade?

Priceless.

I Demand A Retest!

2005-01-20T14:53:00.000-05:00

Anyone know a good DNA clinic?

Your Famous Blogger Twin is Wil Wheaton

You're a friendly, funny guy (or girl) next door
With more than a touch of geekiness

Who's Your Famous Blogger Twin?

Roar...

2005-01-20T10:51:00.000-05:00

I thought this was cute:

Kinky Spam

2005-01-06T16:15:00.000-05:00

For New Year's Eve instead of rocking out with Dick Clark (he couldn't be there for the stroke of midnight so he took the first one he could get) or his replacement Regis (is that the hippest they could get?) Drew and I saw Monty Python's Spamalot. It's a new musical ripped from the movie Monty Python's The Holy Grail. Man oh man it was hilarious! It featured Tim Curry, David Hyde Pierce, Hank Azaria and Sara Ramirez. This lady has got some great chops and her comedic timing was immpeccable. I hope she gets nominated for a Tony Award.

It plays in Chicago till the end of the month and then moves to Broadway in NY. If you get a chance to see it, definitely go. If you can't go, you can give the ticket to me. If it comes to Toronto, I will be there for sure.

There are 2 shows I really want to see right now: 'Da Kink In My Hair and Wicked.

I love the theatre. I'd like to try musical theatre someday. Somewhere over the rainbow.....................

MASAGANANG BAGONG TAON!

2005-01-06T16:09:00.000-05:00

It's a brand new year for this dragon. Hopefully there will be more interesting events in the world and in my life. Thanks for staying tuned and I'll try to keep things lively.

24 (the show, not a case of beer)

2005-01-06T16:02:00.000-05:00

I'm totally hooked on the show. I always knew that the show existed, I just didn't know how damn good it really was.

Drew suggested that I try it as he really liked the first season so we rented the first 2 discs (each disc has 4 shows corresponding to an hour within the day that the season is taking place).

The show is innovative in that the entire show is an hour long (with commercials) and the events happen in "real time".

The show is just jam packed with suspence, thrills, twists and bloody good drama.

I was constantly on the edge of my seat. I was so addicted that I went out and found a used copy of the entire season (6 discs) and watched it all in a span of a week. I am a fan for life. Now I want to watch the new season as well as Season 2 and 3.

And boy oh boy is Keifer Sutherland HOT!!!!! (His dad Donald Sutherland is Canadian).

So if you don't hear from me or I don't answer my phone, I'm probably watching 24.

T'was the night before Christmas...

2004-12-24T09:32:00.000-05:00

Linda (the newscaster): Homeless robots, to poor to even afford the basic alcohol needed to fuel their circuits. Is there anything sadder? Only drowning puppies, and it would have to be a lot of them.

Real gifts of Christmas

2004-12-20T13:04:00.000-05:00

I'm probably going to hell for my last blog but that's ok, it'd be warmer. Anything is warmer than TO right now. It's below -30. Should it be legal to even be outside?

It wouldn't be so bad if there was snow on the ground to make it feel like Christmas. Maybe it will be a miracle and snow in the next couple of days. I haven't been to the mall yet. I'm not looking forward to it.

I am looking forward to Dallas and Katie coming home for a few days and Drew spending the Christmas weekend with me.

Then we are off to Chicago for a week for New Year's!

I'm pretty stoked.

Xmas Spirit

2004-12-20T13:01:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling my homeboy JC. Dog's got the right idea. Get all the BLING you can in one night! I'm down with G-O-D!

Holiday Blues

2004-12-14T10:46:00.000-05:00

I'm not feeling so well lately. I'm hoping to be better for the holidays. Who knew that staying up late and being out in the cold could be hazardous to your health?

Bleah.

I'll write more when I'm feeling better.

Porn Access

2004-12-03T11:53:00.000-05:00

Great title, but very misleading.

I just finished 2 days of MS ACCESS computer training. I got paid to take these classes, I didn't have to pay for them, and it was really useful to learn.

I'm going to try to talk my bosses to send me to the intermediate classes. Who ever said porn never paid off? ;-)

I've been considering databasing my CD collection. I may be at it for a few months.

Alleluia!

2004-12-02T14:26:00.000-05:00

The iTunes store has finally opened in Canada! Hazza!

Jennings goes down

2004-11-30T09:29:00.000-05:00

The world is torn that the 75 game streak Jeopardy winner is going lose tonight. Why do people need to target winners? To make themselves feel better? Because the winner wants too much (over 2 million dollars in winnings)? Who knows but that is human nautre. I don't think anyone could do what he did ever again. Way to go Ken!

Burning Bush

2004-11-30T09:20:00.000-05:00

President Bush is coming to Canada today. Both supporters and protestors are heading to the Nation's capital. Frankly, I'd rather go to Hollywood to see Godzilla recieve his star on the walk of fame. Or Godzilla to come to Ottawa to stomp on Bush. Now that would be something to drive 5 hours for to see.

Finally Recognizing a Real Star

2004-11-30T09:13:00.000-05:00

Godzilla has finally gotten his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! It's about time they realized real talent. To find a listing of all the stars and where they are located go here.

Go Godzilla!

The Greatest Canadian

2004-11-30T08:59:00.000-05:00

As voted by the public, Tommy Douglas is the greatest Canadian. He was the 'Father of Medicare'.

Free healthcare...who can argue with that.

Fam Jam!

2004-11-26T13:26:00.000-05:00

Tonight is my niece Gabrielle's 1st birthday! There is a Fam Jam tonight and y'all are invited. Lots of family, friends, food and ............... food!

Come one, come all and bring your appetite!

See y'all there.

Cheers.

Canuck or Southern? Same Difference

2004-11-24T13:05:00.000-05:00

This is funny.

You're Blanche!

"I'm single, I'm free on Saturday night and I can arch my back until my head touches my heels." You're Blanche Deveraux -- that's French for "Blanche Deveraux" -- the round-heeled daughter of a moonshiner named Big Daddy. You've done every AARP-card-carrying man in Miami and have have a handcuff-endurance record ("My personal best was 32 hours, but then I had a playmate.") Your best line: "You know what goes great with Champagne? Me!"

Which Golden Girl are you? Find out now!

Gnaked Gnomes

2004-11-22T11:42:00.000-05:00

From Pulse24.com's Strange but True section:

No Gnomes

It’s the case of the stolen half naked gnomes. A gnome peepshow in an eastern German amusement park is without its star attractions after thieves stole the scantily clad garden figures. “The gnomes display naked body parts - the same ones you'd expect to see in a human peep show,” park manager Frank Ullrich said. The adults-only spectacle is located at Dwarf-Park Trusetal. Visitors seeking a naughty thrill could peep through keyholes to glimpse the impish miniatures in compromising positions. But now the whole display is compromised after it was smashed open early Thursday morning.

Ullrich worries no one will be able to find his gnomes now. “I doubt they're standing in someone's garden, they'll have to have been hidden inside.” Hopefully it’s warm where they are, since they’re not fully dressed.

Oh my!

Real me in cuz I'm HOOKED!

2004-11-22T10:33:00.000-05:00

I thought I wasn't going to be able to watch the reality series The Amazing Race 6 as it airs on Tuesday nights. I'm at volleyball at that time but they have repeats on Saturday evenings. So one way or another I will be watching this race.

For those who are unfamiliar to the show, they pit 11 teams of 2 to race from one destination to another. Whoever reaches the last destination first wins.

This leg saw the contestants starting in Chicago Illinois and heading towards Iceland.

I loved the begining as it started in Chicago so I recognized many of the places that they were showcasing.

What is really amazing about the show is the beautiful destinations that the show chooses and the events/experiences the racers get to participate in.

This week they ice climbed a giant ice wall and the pit stop (the end of this particular leg) was at the Blue Lagoon (the site is in Icelandic, but the pictures say it all) which is a beautiful man made landscape with thermal waters.

If I had to choose a team to win the whole thing, I pick Freddy and Kendra. But it's too early to pick my favorite team.

I'll keep ya posted.

Argos Rule!

2004-11-22T10:22:00.000-05:00

The Toronto Argonaughts have won the 2004 Grey Cup.

This is Canada's version of the Super Bowl. They played against the BC Lions and bea them 27-19. The last time they won was in 1997 and came into this year's Grey Cup as the underdogs.

Go Argos!

Wanna meet at the playground?

2004-11-19T15:50:00.000-05:00

I'm free tonight (Friday) and all I wanna do is hang out with my goddaughter Pamela and her sister Isabelle to see either Sponge Bob Square pants the movie or the Incredibles.

Sometimes I just want to shut my higher brain function and run around until I collapse of exhaustion.

But definitely tonight is a no brainer. Whatever I do it will not require much effort.

;p

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

2004-11-17T09:43:00.000-05:00

This weekend is the annual Santa Claus parade. It is usually a big event but this year it's even bigger as it is the 100th anniversary. I've never been but I've heard that it is a lot of fun. I'm sure it's more for the kids though so I may have to wait until I have rugrats of my own.

My friend Gene is going to be experiencing the parade as an Auxiliary Constable. Good luck. It's his first assignment as he just graduated yesterday. Not too shabby for a first assignment. Let's hope he feels the same standing around in the cold for 8 hours.

On second thought, maybe I'll just watch the parade on TV from home.

Now that's what I call reality TV!

2004-11-17T09:35:00.000-05:00

The Vibe Awards are in the spotlight NOT for the talent but for the violence that errupted. Someone punched Dr. Dre, and the guy that punched him got stabbed by one of Dr. Dre's proteges. Next year's awards should give presenters kevlar vests instead of gift baskets. And they should definitely sell this year's award ceremony on DVD right next to Jerry Springer. They'd make a killing!

Tim Horton 59? No way!

2004-11-17T09:16:00.000-05:00

CBC has a TV special in where Canadians get to vote on who they think is the greatest Canadian. They get guest advocates presenting an argument for why his or her chosen nominee is greater than the rest. This week Melissa Auf der Maur (of the band Hole and Smashing Pumpkin fame) is presenting David Suzuki. If anyone can tell me the connection, it would be greatly appreciated. Strange bedfellows indeed. I haven't quite decided who I think the greatest Canadian is (definitely NOT Celine Dion) but I'm leaning towards Terry Fox. The list comprises of pretty much any famous Canadian that one can remember. Pretty sad, eh?