Pouting over a carrot stick.

Hellooooo Bloggy McBloggerson. I know it's been almost a week. I'm sorry. Next time I plan to be away this long I promise to leave an extra bowl of water for you. Of course the fact that I haven't been blogging doesn't mean that the world stops turning, does it? While I've been keeping busy not doing the dishes or the laundry or going to bed a decent hour the Hillary Clinton campaign song...um...situation...came to a conclusion. I know you've all probably seen this already, but I have to post it here for posterity. Because, yeah, I think it's awesome, I admit it. Hillary Clinton's spoof of the Sopranos finale:



If she doesn't get the nomination I fully expect her and Bill to get a sitcom or something. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking Chelsea has suffered enough. Still, I'd tune in every week to watch him pout over a carrot stick. I really would.

While the video itself was awesome, the song choice is so wrong I don't even know where to start. Celine Dion's "You and I" was written specifically as a commercial for Air Canada. I shit you not, Bloggy McBloggerson. Her campaign song is from a commercial for a Canadian airline. Sung by a CANADIAN. Also, it's just a really, really crappy song. Nothing inspiring about that. The odds of "You and I" being played behind a balloon drop of any kind are slim to none. And when I say slim, I mean borderline anorexic, like Celine herself. Ah, well.

Today is my last day at CSIS until after the Canada Day long weekend at the beginning of July! Ring rang a dong for a holiday! I'll be staying in town working at and enjoying the Toronto Jazz Festival. Not sure how often I'll be able to update, but I hope to. If anyone reading this is in Toronto and is looking for suggestions on what to check out at the Festival, drop me a line and I'll lay my official opinion on ya!

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If you're wondering what I was up to while I wasn't blogging there is some photographic evidence over at my Flickr Account, nothing crazy exciting, but, you know, I like to share!

Toodles,
MTN

Dispatch from Lambton Mall

Spending the weekend in Sarnia with the Robeau. He had a gig here, and he has family here and with Father's Day approaching spending the weekend here seemed like the thing to do. I don't really have anything to say, it's been a busy week for MTN Media Relations which makes me very, very happy and now, here I am...in Sarnia. I'm only posting because I found a wireless connection in the sort-of-not-quite-food court here and this connection to the outside world makes me both giddy and content. Which I'm sure makes me more than a little bit crazy. What can you do?

Here's something...odd.

I'm sitting here drinking a white wine and watching Warren Buffett on Charlie Rose and I realized something.

Charlie Rose is on my list of five.

That's right, you heard me.

I know what you're thinking...

You think that Relaxo ate me. Well fear not, Bloggy McBloggerson, "Participatction" has not been the end of me. I am alive, just not alive on the intornet. As mentioned earlier, Blogger is indeed being a douche. Of course, if you are reading this, the douchery has subsided at least temporarily and I shouldn't bite the hand that feeds me. For free. Thank you Blogger. I adore you. Even when you're being a giant douche.

Relaxo is treating me well, thanks to all the great music suggestions that you sent my way. I've also downloaded a bunch of "Arrested Development" tunes - remember that great Hip Hop act that was popular in early 90s? GREAT workout music. Just great.

Expect updates really soon on The Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis and Toronto's newest jazz club Live @ Courthouse. Also, Golden Thai Curry. That's something that I want to talk about a lot. I'm not kidding. A LOT.

In the meantime, please enjoy this disgusting and amusing bit of yester-year. And you thought there was only one!



I am NOT done!



Now I'm done. Feel free to go about your business, you MINDSTICKERS!

20 lashes with wet noodle.

That's my penance for being such a neglagent little blogger lately. I'm sorry Bloggy McBloggerson, but hey, check out some of the cool stuff I've scouted for you while I've been busy not writing:

I don't like to talk about my day job at CSIS, because I like my job a lot and if I did talk about it I would live in fear of stepping in it and being dooced. I will make this one, rare exception to direct you all to the website for the Canadian Premiere of We Will Rock You and the photos I got to take at a press event last week. The show opens next month and promises to be a fun, rockin' romp! And who couldn't use some of that these days?

Since I am now a Rock Chick Supremo I want to give a shout out to my favourite Rock Chick, my friend, surrogate little sister and Toronto's own Basia Lyjak. She rocked it old school at the ElMocombo on Friday night (where Zee Noixy and I worked the door) and her brand new EP "Writings on the Wall" has just been released. I know what you're thinking, you're thinking, "but Nolan, a ROCK recommendation? We trust you to show us how to snap on two and four, but please, keep your ROCK advice to yourself." And I understand your skepticism. I really do. But go on, and have a listen. She is fabulous. She rocks.

This week in egg news, I had a wonderful mid-afternoon brunch yesterday with the lovely Hutch. She introduced me to a great breakfast joint called BOOM. The Martini Boys Review says it all pretty nicely. As did the contented look on my face after delicious eggs benny with perfect hollandaise, crispy, seasoned taters and fresh fruit. A plate full of good, sunny eggs are the perfect antidote to the February blaaahs.

On another note, damn it's cold. I miss global warming.

'vincible.

Last week I wrote about how I was too busy to post because of a plague that spread through the office at CSIS. I wasn't sick, I was just working extra hard. I was healthy, and I was going to stay that way thanks to the industrial strength anti-bacterial spray I was wielding. It had an illustration of a 1950's nurse on it, little hat and all. It said it was effective against all germs and things like TB! I was cocky. I was taking vitamin c, wearing my hat and I had the spray. And that's when it happened. I got knocked on my ass and spent the first half of this week lying on the couch, moaning and watching The View. I couldn't muster up the strength to change the channel when Rachael Ray came on. I was ILL.

I'm pretty well recovered now and have spent the weekend getting caught up on work and trying to do some fun stuff to. This afternoon I was at the Art Gallery of Ontario to see Jean Renoir's 1939 masterpiece, "Règle du jeu, La" (The Rules of the Game). Tonight is all about the delicious beef stew that the Robeau made (by request!) and the return of TV's Jack Bauer! Whoo and hoo, people!

Last night we hung out at the "Clarmitages" where young Mr. Sam proved that 7 and half months really is the cutest, most entertaining age a human can be. I fully expect him to prove me wrong once he hits 8 months. Early that day found me at the Distillery District with Trish and Zee Noixy where we enjoyed the sights and the tastes that wonderful little area has to offer.

The photographic evidence:

Truant, c'est moi!

I feel like a truant. Here it is already January 6th and this is my first post of 2007. What can I say? It's been a busy year so far. Some kind of plague has swept over the CSIS office (I think it may be black lung) and I ended up having to do double duty for the first few days of the year. Really cut into my Bloggy McBloggerson time. It's too late to talk about New Years Eve now. I can't bring myself to do it. The moment has passed. Without fanfare. Instead I will share with you some pictures from last night when the original truant surprised us all with a unscheduled visit. Reimer's back from Boston for about a week and we spent the evening celebrating in the biggest dive I have been to in years, The Last Temptation in Kensington Market. Cheap beer, sticky...everything and a crazy mural on the back wall. The photographic evidence is below (you can see more in my Flickr account). This is more fun than trying to remember the details of New Years, rehashing the Saddam thing or applauding Keith Olbermann. Not that I don't want to do those things, I do. I'm just lazy. Like all the best truants are.