When I describe the city of Windsor, I inevitably mention the following things: Casinos, Auto workers, Strip Clubs, and Pizza. These were the parts of my childhood. They weren't the only parts of my childhood, but they were certainly unavoidable. Not much in Windsor is ever accomplished without the CAW having its say and getting its way. Few visitors to Windsor's bar and entertainment district can avoid the random strip clubs placed throughout the city. And with more than half the population being of Italian descent, the quality of Pizza in Windsor from the local pizzerias are of ridiculous tongue-smacking quality.
It's safe to say, however, that Windsor has a lot more to it, too. Bad drivers, crazy border crossings, heavy American influence, the E.C. Row expressway, and so many other annoying little parts of the city give it the character it has worked so hard to achieve. And it's residents, though despising these very things, live there anyways.
These are the things to remember about Windsor... [ more...]
--posted on September 11 07:08 PM EST-- | [ link] |
A few years ago when everyone was first discovering Dilbert, one couldn't help but laugh as the evil corporation wreaked havoc on Dilbert's life. Whether it was the cubicle police, the fist of death, the evil h.r. director, or foreign outsourcing, any one who had ever suffered the trials of cubicle life quickly related to the silly situations the office routinely found itself in. Recently, however, I tended to discover that Dilbert was slowly moving away from the spot on humour I had come to appreciate from it. It's humour, like any good situational story slowly running its course, had moved away from the obviously funny to the absurdly funny. That was, of course, until this one came along: Daily Dilbert. Diamonds in the rough are oh so much more pleasant on Mondays.
--posted on August 09 10:27 AM EST-- | [ link] |
Beer Goggles. Everyone talks about them and some of us succumb to them. Many of us are sworn defenders of the beer-goggled kind; protecting them from all harm that may come during extended periods of inebriation. It's unfortunate when Beer Goggles start to blur one's vision of the dimly lit venue, but with effort, wisdom can still prevail. Goggles come in all manners of flavour and effect. Worst are the times when we don't know that goggles are affecting our world, our vision, and our decisions. By saturating the senses with any one situation for long enough, we can eventually accept practically any set of circumstances as the norm, no matter how absurd. Learn about Larry and Ralph in place of Left and Right, and it almost makes sense. Survive in a land of 75% (asian) men, and you might forget that the world is 51% women. If we get treated unjustly often enough, we might jump at the first bone of reward thrown our way like a Pavlovian experiment. It often happens that I discover that Newton's first law applies to more than the basic physics of motion. An object at rest tends to stay at rest... It's not until I look from a third party perspective that I'm able to see all the forces at work. But even then some are still hidden. However, by working together, groups of friends might be able to break the inertia or change the direction of the snowball by giving that extra set of eyes. Talk as friends, treat them right, trust their advice, and listen with interest. In the end, I hope to be saying: "The goggles... they do nahthing!"
--posted on July 03 11:57 PM EST-- | [ link] |
There are two new galleries available for viewing in the pictures section of Kevo.ca. The photos are taken from recent Ultimate tournaments on Toronto Island and Fergus. The weather for these tournaments was incredible and the memories, of course, needed to be captured in still photography. Enter the Kevo with digital camera at the ready.I've read a few photography books and have learned a few tricks to make the photos look better. It really is quite amazing to see the effects of fill-in flash on a bright day or the use of a steady hand without flash in night photography. Looking back at the older galleries, I wonder what those pictures would look like if I had taken more care back then. Part of the fun of putting these galleries up on the website is sharing the pictures with friends and family. But even more fun is the fact that I get to go back and enjoy the memories myself. Since I purchased my camera, I've taken more than 2000 shots with it. That's easily more pictures than I've taken in my entire lifetime up to this point. So it's safe to say that the digital camera fits right in with the way I do things. And for once in my life, the activities in my life are actually being documented. As for digital photography, it's got me sold. - I don't miss the hassle of finishing a roll of film.
- I never need to go to the photo shop to develop film.
- I take as many pictures as I want.
- I can share photos as quickly as I need.
Now, what about that digital SLR, tripod, and mega-zoom lens?
--posted on June 16 11:32 PM EST-- | [ link] |
Once in a while, you find the place that everyone knows your name. Or in the most recent case, where you know everyone else's name. Karaoke bars often end up as divy bars, as often times, a run of the mill Karaoke machine is simply brought into the bar to boost sales two or three nights a week. The groups of clientele tend to run small and can be somewhat eccentric. I find it common that people are terrified of Karaoke stages. Would be superstars turned coward often claim to require copious amounts of alcohol and only sing songs "that they know". "I'm not a very good singer" is a frequent claim. If there's one thing to be learned from the last year of excursions to Joe Mercury's Thursdays, it's that the qualities for good Karaoke singers are different than one might at first expect. - You need not be a good singer
- You need not know the song.
Though these things will help, they can be compensated for through a) Song Selection b) Stage Presence. Karaoke is as much about being a good singer as it is enjoying your own performance. Complaining about others is also part of the fun. But most of all, have fun in the experience and enjoy the ability to be the center of attention. As the Burger King of Karaoke will tell you - let your emotions run free: cross your arms to your heart, fall to your knees, and drop your pants on stage.
--posted on May 30 10:34 PM EST-- | [ link] |
In November of last year, I was asked "If you could flood a room with music, what would it be?" A valid question, and one that led to many other fruitful discussions. An obvious question is what does flooding a room with music really mean? When I think of the room it is always painted red and dimly lit. It has a black leather sofa in it and massive sound. Not massive speakers, but really big, clear, crisp and loud acoustics. I imagine that everyone's room would be a bit different, but for some reason, my imagination comes off like a Maxell commercial. And I know for a fact that I'd want the music in it to be something loud. Something. Anything. Music, hopefully. But what kind? I imagine all the times I've closed my eyes and listened to music loud, headphones on, trying to focus on the way the instruments weave in and out of the songs. I've done it too many times to remember and I'm quite certain that people see me doing it and look at me a little strange. TOOL, Less Than Jake, Portishead, Ella Fitzgerald, Eric Clapton... all these artists and many others have spent time in my head at obnoxious volumes. I listen to the bass lines. I count the timings of the measures. If the song is repetitive, why isn't it boring? And how do the floating vocals affect the feeling of the music. Hopefully the lyrics are not contrived, and the vocals not misplaced. In the end, I know that the music I would choose to fill the room would definitely be well arranged. But which music would the room be filled with. It's such a tough call and too many things would affect the decision. Who would be in the room with me? What would I be doing in the room? What season is it outside? As music related topics often are, the music and the room that surrounds it are open ended. The combinations endless as are the moods and thoughts they might evoke. But one thing I know, is that when I finally own a house, it's going to have a red room, a leather sofa, and loud music from Lamb's Fear of Fours.
--posted on May 08 12:14 AM EST-- | [ link] |
The Macdonald-Cartier Freeway has been a growing beast over the last decade. It's Ontario's busiest highway system reaching as many as 15 or 16 lanes wide in some parts of Toronto. But it's not all sugar and roses. The 401 between Windsor and London is quite possibly the most boring stretch of road in Ontario. It is all at once many things that drivers despise: - Flat
- Barren scenery
- Void of traffic
- Only two lanes wide in one direction
- It is also flat
On my latest venture down the 401, I came to the realization at one point that I had made several turns but could not remember driving any of them. It's also on the 401 that I've noticed a general trend of drivers over the last 10 years. They all drive fast. [ more...]
--posted on April 13 11:40 PM EST-- | [ link] |
Large crowds of people are impressive sights. Few things are as breathtaking as a sea of people in a picture. What is often forgotten in these images, however, is that large crowds are also associated with impressive amounts of volume. At sporting events, in particular, one will encounter a variety of sounds to assault the ears. There's the sounds coming from the players, the rowdy and drunk spectators, the arena organ, the hawkers, and the arena announcer. Often times it all seems very symphonic with the elegant rhythm that it all comes together. One of the most interesting sounds is the rising edge of a unified "yeah!" This is most easily heard during a basketball game when the home team scores a huge basket under intense pressure. The crowd is silenced by the tension of the moment, but completely obliterates the silence when the basket is scored. The physical gestures include jumping to their feet, raising arms, and pumping fists. But also universal in the celebration is the "yeah" released simultaneously with each of the thousands of other cheering fans. It would be almost impossible to tell that the cheering began as a "yes" or "yeah" were it not for the rising edge of the shout. Sporting crowds are impressive creatures. They live and breathe with the success of their team. A poor performance by the home team and the animal dies a slow and painful death. A boring performance and the crowd enters a state of self-amusement doing the "wave" around the stadium. But one thing that remains constant from between games, across sports, and nations the world over is the crowd's readiness to shout it's fierce battle cry when the outcome starts going the right way. The unified shout and common feeling of celebration works a mysterious magic on the soul.
--posted on March 31 07:31 PM EST-- | [ link] |
The feeling of emptiness that one feels when something familiar is suddenly removed from your life and not replaced is at times scary and frustrating. After completing university life, my usual writing habits were all but obliterated with my departure from MathNEWS. Enter the wonderful organization known as Booyaka. The crazy and motivated members of Booyaka have rekindled the candle of satire and meaningful writing. It's with great pleasure that they bring forth the first ever official issue of the Tribal Observer. For many of their writers, it was their first step into the world of magazine style writing. And their efforts truly show in the sincerity and quality of their articles. With the positive feedback from the Observer it's encouraging to know that people are once again enjoying the musings of each other in a neatly packaged newsletter. Consider the emptiness filled and the motivation returned. Start the presses - it's good to be back.
--posted on March 18 04:32 PM EST-- | [ link] |
While diets are certainly nothing new, this latest set of high protein low carbohydrate diets seems to have capitalized on the recent health kick striking across North America. "Zoning" claims to be more of a way of life than a diet. By pushing what should be common-sense exercise habits and combining them with a dietary plan, the zone appears to be the lesser of two evils. Atkins, on the other hand, is a more strict, almost draconian, version of the high protein and low carb combination. This is the most superficial look at the diet as anyone chomping through the diet will argue. But what is most interesting is the recent corporate interest in these diets from the most unlikely of sources. Subway sandwich shops, for example, now has Atkins friendly wraps labelled with a low carb Atkins seal of approval. In a more unlikely of location, the McDonald's also has a carb-friendly menu available for its supposed health conscious consumers. Most recently even beer companies have begun advertising the number of carbohydrates contained in their bottled wares. If it wasn't a bad idea to drink before, it's ok now, because we're aware of how many carbs we're taking in while doing it. Have these diets penetrated such a large percentage of the populace that companies have decided that including these sentiments in their marketing is a worthwhile venture? One would think that North America had a better mind than that. Is it really that we're eating too many carbs? Or is it more likely that we're simply eating too much? One look at the Asian diet should be a good argument that eating excessive numbers of carbohydrates isn't the problem. But apparently everyone in North America is different and we all have solutions that work just for us. One has to be careful, though, to understand the supposed solution and to know both sides of the answer before drinking the corporate punch-du-jour.
--posted on March 07 02:46 PM EST-- | [ link] |
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