Seb's Market Cafe

Before work I had brunch at this nice little corner cafe on Broadway near Fraser. The lineup wasn't too bad, perhaps 15 minutes. I had an ice chai latte and a yummy bacon and apple omelette. My better half had a Eggs Benny with crab. I'm really enjoying our little travels into the lesser-known little restaurants and cafes around town (even though all of them have had rave reviews). How many more of these are in town?

Reality?

Who wants to make a bet that the balloon family will get a reality show? Wow, between that show, Octomom, Kate the Loser Plus 8, who has time for anything else? America is so obviously in the forefront of excellent TV programming. They prefer a chicken farmer who sings offkey to an opera singer who hit every note. Where do I begin?

Maybe I miss all the Michael Jackson reports after all.

Attic

The boy was in the attic. Meanwhile CNN was turning the show into some ratings stunt. I guess the Dad did it all for publicity. He probably got a commission from CNN. I hope he gets fired from his job and nobody hires him. He is an embarrassment to parents around the world.

I'm beginning to think TMZ has better coverage than CNN.

CNN

The news of the day in the great United States is the story of the 6-year-old boy who supposedly got into his father's experimental balloon that was tethered in the backyard and drifted away from his Colorado home. What kind of people would leave this balloon in the backyard knowing there is a 6-year-old in the family? Now the balloon has landed and the child is not inside. That's nice.

Knowing how the American media is, the parents will eventually do a heart-wrenching interview thanking everyone for their work. Instead, they should be in jail for being perhaps the worst parents of the year.

Quiz of the Day

If you had to lose the use of one of the following for one week what would it be?

1) cell phone
2) Facebook
3) email account
4) TV

I'm considering some sort of a detox if that makes sense, perhaps try to go without each of the above for one week (not at the same time). TV should be easily, as I've gone a month without it once. The other ones will be tough but why not? It just seems that the wrong things are taking over our lives.

Victim?

I find this whole David Letterman situation hilarious. As usual, the wonderful media has somehow transformed a bad person into a saint. yes, he was the victim of a possible blackmail scheme but evidently the fact that he was being blackmailed because he was having an affair seems to be forgotten. Obviously it's OK to be adulterous when you're in Hollywood, especially when you're a famous celebrity. Next thing you know, they're going to do a reality show following the lives of ALL of Letterman's mistresses. Letterman Plus 8 (or however many it is).

Crap

Other than keeping up with IMPORTANT news, I'm finding it almost unnecessary to watch TV, especially all this crap from the so-called entertainment world. At least I don't watch 24-hour reports on Michael Jackson anymore. But now it's all about the Gosselin family. Why are they even in the celebrity category anyways? Is it because years ago they both agreed to exploit their kids for the love of money? I don't care who's having an affair. Both are at fault, and the attempt of the media (and TLC) to make HER look good isn't working. She is abusing her kids, not physically but in every other way possible. Please remove her face from the news. They can do a show called "Kate plus 0".

If I wasn't so tired I'd comment on Dave Letterman. Maybe tomorrow.

C Restaurant

It was one year ago tonight that I went to dinner with a very special lady. For our one-year first-date anniversary (is it legal to use two dashes in one sentence?) I chose one of my favorite restaurants, the only one I know of with one letter in it's name... C Restaurant. When I booked the reservation online I was asked if I wanted flowers to be delivered as well, so I thought why not. It was suggested that I call the restaurant to say that flowers would be delivered and to have them arranged. So I did.

So we went to the restaurant and I saw the flowers that I'd ordered along with another arrangement that I assumed was part of the restaurant. Evidently my phone conversation was misinterpreted and the restaurant thought that I'd asked them to get some flowers to put on the table. So Amy got two arrangements instead of one.

Oh the food. As usual, I really enjoyed dinner at C. Amy had a lobster bisque and I ordered a pork belly as an appetizer. You could say that I got a nice piece of fat pork but it was delicious. Oh I forgot, we'd also gotten a little apertif beforehand, some sort of a drink which I couldn't remember the ingredients of.

For main courses, she had scallops and I had a seared halibut. Maybe the fish was a tad overcooked but I still enjoyed it. For dessert I had a white chocolate bread pudding.

I was most impressed with the excellent service. As each dish was presented, the kind server (Drew) would describe it. Water was readily filled up and I had a good time, even if I paid extra for another bunch of flowers. But they were nice.

Happy Anniversary, Baby.

Les Faux Bourgeois Bistro

A number of people recommended this quaint little restaurant near Fraser and Kingsway. All of the positive reviews were accurate as the food was delicious. We shared an appetizer of meat with (obviously) French bread. I ordered the Steak Frites and Amy had mussels, both were delicious. For dessert we had a nice big cup of creme brulee. Yum yum.

Love Happens

And we have Jennifer Aniston in yet another romantic comedy, this time with Aaron Eckhart. The movie started off slow and was a tad boring. It also didn't help that the people behind us found it necessary to do a running commentary of the movie. Yes we heard the first time that parts of the movie was filmed in Vancouver (as well as Seattle). No, the Space Needle isn't in Vancouver. Thanks for letting us know in advance everything that will probably happen.

But the last part of the movie was quite touching, although I didn't see a lot of chemistry between the two main characters.

Casino Life

It is often said that one should never date a coworker or someone in their own workplace. That does make a lot of sense because of what would happen if things don't work out. But that is not the topic of this entry.

I'm writing more about the life of a casino employee, especially one with either "abnormal" hours or swing shifts (my hand is up). Well I guess I can extend it to anybody who doesn't have a regular 9am-5pm job, like doctors or other on-call occupations. How do you function? How do you mix work with a social life? If you are single, how hard has (or had) it been to do things outside of work? If you are dating, how understanding is the partner? "Normal" relationships consist of having dinner with each other at 6 or 7 and then a movie or other activities.

If you are married, how understanding is the spouse? I do know it actually works well for some "married with children" people. One parent will tend to matters while the other is at work. But this also means that they are away from each other for 8 hours. Is this good or bad?

Lotto Max 2

OK maybe I'll win next week. The good news is this week I won a $5 free play plus $1 on the extra. The bad news is how much I spent to get the $6.

Know your limit, play within it.

Lotto Max

Please let this be the week I win the lottery... well anytime in the near future would be nice.

Dating Disaster (Luckily Not Me)

Amy and I were having a casual dinner at a small restaurant in Burnaby. Normally I don't make comments about people sitting beside us but in this case I must. It all started when the couple sat down and probably within 30 seconds they were holding hands. Or perhaps the girl grabbed the hand of the guy or vice versa. Well whatever. All I know is on the corner of my head I saw a guy in a shirt or polo shirt. Then Amy told me to look at him as he was standing up. I almost burst out laughing. The guy's tie was, well, shall we say, hanging even further than "down there". I mean, mean usually have their ties too short (even I am sometimes) when the tip should be just at the belt buckle. This guy's tie was practically touching the floor.

Then when it came time for them to go, the guy tells the girl to pay her own half or something like that. I could sense the girl really pissed off at this time. She said something about having no change. Then she goes up to the cashier to get change. Maybe the guy thought she would end up paying or something. It gets all confusing after. While she was up there paying the guy gets up and goes to the cashier too (to get change??). The girl comes back followed by the guy who gives her money because I think he assumed that she paid for his share too. But she hadn't so the guy had to go back up to the cashier to pay his share. I know, I know, why should I care. I just found it so silly. If this was a first date then I'll bet the farm the loser guy isn't getting another one. If they've gone out before then I'm pretty sure it's over now.

There's your laugh for the day. And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Cafe Medina

We tried a nice little cafe downtown for brunch today and it was very very good. It is called Cafe Medina. Amy had the "Fricasse" and I had "Les Boulettes". Both were delicious. We ended with a really yummy waffle with mixed fruit topping. We'll definitely be going back to this nice little find. I'm also kind of obsessed with this really far-fetched idea for a restaurant that came into my head.

All About Steve

Wow, a movie about a crossword puzzle constructor, how can I refuse? Even though I'd read some questionable reviews, I really enjoyed this new Sandra Bullock vehicle. I identified with her character for some reason. Well, I would love to be a professional crossword constructor myself, but I know how hard the field is to get into. She was a bit too neurotic, but it was a good film anyways.

RIP Patrick Swayze

"No one puts Baby in the corner".

He finally lost his battle with pancreatic cancer but it was a gallant fight. What was once thought to be only a week or month became an 18-month fight.

It only seemed like yesterday that I saw Dirty Dancing and Ghost for the first time, when in fact it's been 22 and 19 years now. How time flies.

Don't Go West

We now have a new member of the "Please Go Away" Celebrity Club, Kanye West. I didn't get a chance to watch the MVA's but it's obvious this guy is a loser. He can now join Jon & Kate, Octomom, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and the rest. Drink some more, idiot.

Boo Hoo

I'm glad Serena Williams lost today. She can whine and bee-yatch all she wants, the fact of the matter is she lost. One year she accuses her opponent of cheating. This year she whines over a clear foot fault violation. She is the sorest loser in tennis. May she never win again.

Forever

To all my friends (and love of my life) who gave me advice after my little Facebook status posting, thanks. And to those who have been there for me throughout each day, month, year, and decade... thank you. I feel blessed and fortunate to know some very wonderful people who mean the world to me.

9

After Gamer, we went to see a weird cartoonish movie about a post-Apocalytic society where the machines have all taken over. It's hard to explain the movie so I won't try but it was pretty interesting. One week, Joe and I saw Inglourious Basterds and the next week we saw this one.

Gamer

I hadn't seen Joe since he got back from Vegas and getting Marie Osmond to call me (hee hee) so we had dinner at our usual haunt (The Keg) where he gave me back the Marie Osmond book that I had her sign. Then we went to see the first of two movies afterwards, the Gerard Butler flick. This guy is cool, one minute he's some ultra-violent meanie in movies such as 300, then he can go 360 and play romantic roles such as P.S. I Love You and The Ugly Truth. Gamer is an obvious homage to Blade Runner with some Running Man references thrown in. It was a lot better than I'd expected.

America's Got Talent

OK normally I have nothing but negative things to say about reality shows. And even for most of the episodes I've watched of America's Got Talent, nothing has particularly stood out. It seemed that the only memorable acts are from strange people. There is the country singer who reminded us of Susan Boyle for some reason. Tonight I saw two kids probably eight or nine dancing to Michael Jackson but ballroom style. Huh?

But the last performance was that of a lady named Barbara Padilla who had evidently beaten cancer years ago. My first reaction was, well, of course, without a story how could they get so far? But then she started singing one of two opera songs that I truly adore (the other one is Pie Jesu), Ave Maria. I remember the first time I heard Sarah Brightman sing it, "there was someone in my eye". Tonight it happened again. While we'll find out tomorrow of she makes it to the final, I can't see anybody else beating her. As Piers Morgan said, "a star was born tonight". Bravo.

7 Days

Today is day seven in a row of work for me. I'm spending it in the confines of Fraser Downs for a nice relaxing shift. It's good to see some old friends again and meeting the "new" slot attendant.

Bobby Loo

Well, it was announced a few hours ago that Roberto Luongo re-signed in Vancouver at $64 million for 12 years. While it seems to be quite low for him, it seems obvious that he did it so the team can sign some good players up front (Heatley rumors?). No, I'm not jumping on the bandwagon but I admit this was a nice move. I'm still cheering for the Habs though.

Border Crossing

We decided to check out the new hotel at Tulalip for our "weekend", and do a little shopping at the Seattle Premium Outlet as well. Our trip started off with a relatively short 40-minute wait at the border on Sunday (I've waited up to 90 minutes before), then a short walk at Bellis Fair where we had Clam Chowder at Ivar's. Mmmmm.

The hotel was quite nice, better than I'd expected it to be for the $130US/night price tag. The cool part of the room was the shower, which consisted of three separate heads (one for the head, one for the torso and one near the feet). You could have all three running, or control which one you wanted. This was quite ingenious as I'd never seen it before.

Gambling-wise, I took it easy, and managed to make less than $100. Amy made a little bit of money on roulette and I got to show off and pass 200 roulette chips to the dealer, who was probably more pissed off somebody could do it. Oh well, too bad.

All in all, it was a great time and I can't wait to visit again.

Birthday

Even though the media frenzy hasn't subsided, I do wish to note that Michael Jackson was to become 51 on August 29. Many hated him for what he allegedly did, but I remember him for his music. So Happy Birthday MJ.

Inglorious Basterds

I hadn't seen Joe in a while so we went for our usual dinner at the Keg in Surrey, then headed out to watch Quentin Tarantino's latest venture. It was his usual violent fare, this time taking a somewhat historically "different" view of the Second World War. While the movie was pretty good, I did not have a good time due to the idiots sitting two rows back who more or less laughed at various inopportune times throughout the movie. Thanks for ruining the movie for me.

I Am Canadian

Why is Gary Bettman insistent that an NHL team stay in Phoenix when it is obvious nobody cares about hockey over there? Canadian fans are so eager for another team, even if it is led by a silly guy such as Jim Balsillie? Heck, even a team in Portland would generate more interest than Phoenix, but Bettman doesn't want to admit he's really an idiot. Look at the hockey hotbeds he's developed in Carolina, among others.

Take That, Buster

Amy and I spent a wonderful day at the PNE. While it was nothing special compared to other years, it was a nice relaxing day. I even rolled an 11 for her when she was playing Over/Under 7 for a nice $60. She also was doing quite well on the carny money games. Meanwhile I couldn't win anything, not even Whack-a-Mole. But we had a good time.

And then we went back to where our car was supposed to be. For those that don't know, there is a spot on East Pender just in from Renfrew that is FREE. If you read the signs, yes, it is permit parking beyond the sign but there is space from the post to the corner if your car is small enough. I've parked there before, but today there was a van in front of us but I gambled and lost.

OK, it's fine, I got towed. I accept that (although I will probably contest it because of the 1.5 meter rule that I'm pretty sure I followed). So I called Buster's and they said it was there. OK, I got off the phone and then realized that there were two Buster's Towings (one under the Granville Bridge and the other near Science World). So I called back and asked for the address. Well, Amy was nice enough to donate her monetary winnings toward the cab ride to the Buster's on Science World because that was what the lady said. When I went there it was a guy who said my car was in the OTHER lot. You know the rest. The lady who worked at the OTHER Buster's on Granville Bridge gave me the address of the one at Science World. I'm just getting ready to put together a really nice letter to the manager of Buster's.

Argh.

48 Hours

One more afternoon shift and one more morning shift and I will get a much needed two days off. All I want to do is....nothing and "embrace silence".

Success

Dr. Wayne Dyer's 10 Secrets for Success....

1. Have a Mind that is Open to Everything and Attached to Nothing.
2. Don’t Die with Your Music Still in You.
3. You Can’t Give Away What You Don’t Have.
4. Embrace Silence.
5. Give Up your Personal History.
6. You Can’t Solve a Problem with the Same Mind that Created It.
7. There are No Justified Resentments.
8. Treat Yourself as if You Already Are What You’d Like To Be.
9. Treasure Your Divinity.
10.Wisdom is Avoiding All Thoughts that Weaken You.

Thanks, Maureen.

Life

I sit here typing away at my blog which I have more or less done faithfully for five years. I have Restaurant City running in the background. In about 3 hours I will be going to work and then coming home close to midnight. It seems that I've done this a lot in the last while.

I have met a wonderful girl and she means the world to me, but is there something I can do to make things even better? Five years from now will I be in the same position as I am now? Ten years? I know I should be following my dreams but the reality of life stops me from doing that. I could be out on a yacht or cruise ship or flying to exotic places but I haven't won the lottery (and perish the thought but I may never win). I could retire and drop everything but how do I survive the next 52 years?

Is this it?

QB's

There must be a shortage of good quarterbacks in the NFL. You have the Philadelphia Eagles signing the idiotic Michael Vick. Everybody knows he should have signed with the Cleveland Browns so he can be cheered on by the Dogg Pound every week. And now, the 90-year-old Brett Favre will play for the Minnesota Vikings. Maybe OJ should consider a comeback.

The Time Traveller's Wife

While the trailer for this movie was intriguing, I didn't know what to expect as I sat down for this film. I suspected that this was one of those films that was better as a book, and I was right. The cinematography was nice but somehow the story got too confusing. That's not to say that Rachel McAdams isn't beautiful. She still has that beauty that made The Notebook such a wonderful film. But I saw Eric Bana's butt a few too many times. This movie wasn't bad but I guess I was a little bit disappointed.

Julie & Julia: Postscript

The main reason why I liked the movie so much was that it mirrored my life in many ways. I'd often thought about blogging professionally, but I've been thinking a lot about what I can write about. Unfortunately the life and times of a random guy in the universe probably won't turn into a blockbuster movie (and besides, Meryl Streep can't really play me). So perhaps I can ask for advice from my two or three fans. What can I start blogging about? Food blogging (at least with respect to cooking) is really tough to get into. Besides, I really can't cook and I don't plan to go through Julia Child's cookbook anytime soon. Perhaps some sort of an eating blog, where I can go to restaurants every day ($$$) or week? Entertainment or sports blog? Any ideas?

Julie & Julia

Bon Appetit! There wasn't much in the way of good movies this week, and I wasn't in the mood to line up for GI Joe (not that I'd expected it to be any good), so we decided to watch Julie & Julia, which was "based on two true stories". Director Nora Ephron managed to combine two stories from two eras into a cohesive tale. I really enjoyed the "older" story of Paul & Julia Child. Stanley Tucci plays yet another "sidekick" role to Meryl Streep (ala The Devil Wears Prada) wonderfully. And Ms. Streep, is there nothing in the acting profession you can't do? It only seemed like yesterday I was singing and dancing at the Mamma Mia! movie. Your portrayal of Julia Child was amazing.

P.S. "You are the butter to my bread, and the breath to my life".

Music Mania

I spent the last two nights (2 hours yesterday, about an hour tonight) doing a focus group on music. We listened to a total of 1000 (!) music snippets of about 5 seconds each. In the end I (and the other 100 or so people) got $100 incentive. That's not too bad, except I didn't hear one ABBA song. There were two Michael Jackson song but quite a few favorites from the 80's.

Lost Weekends

Evidently this Monday was B.C. Day. So much for a long weekend, since I had Tuesday and Wednesday off. Now I get the pleasure of working six days in a row. Such much for a regular weekend. Ho hum.

The Ugly Truth

We were going to see this movie last week but we went a bit too late and it was sold out. We didn't expect a full house tonight but surprisingly it was also quite busy. But we got our seats early. The movie was better than I thought it would be (there were a lot of negative reviews out there), although perhaps a bit cruder than I would expect. Nevertheless, Gerard Butler has become quite the versatile actor, going from a "man" movie like 300 to romcoms like this one. Katherine Heigl didn't look too bad as well.

Heat

Is it me or is it hot?

The Bachelorette

Other than the Canadian flavor of this season, is it me or is the show just getting sillier? Jillian almost fell for one of the worse species of human beings ever, and it looks bad enough that he got to the Final 6. Canadians aren't that stupid are they? She ends up choosing a guy that left her once. Damn what am I saying, I actually watched the show (but it was with someone special). And with the sparkling record of past relationships from the show, I wonder why people still watch it. I guess it's the American culture for you. Who's looking forward to the upcoming Octomom reality show. The kids get $250 each per show, maybe she'll use those fertility drugs some more.

Skipper!

"So sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, that started from the River Rock aboard a tiny ship...."

Yesterday Wayne invited me and some friends on his boat for a cruise on the water, followed by watching the firework in the evening. I was working the morning shift but managed to leave a bit past two. At the time the weather was gorgeous. We went to Gibsons and ate at Molly's Reach (which fans of the old series Beachcombers will be more than familiar with). We went to a park and were about to spend some time there when it appeared to start raining. Strange, because there really was no rain forecasted for that day. But as we got back on the boat we realized that as usual the weather forecasters were not even close.

Everybody knows by now how the weather was in the Lower Mainland in the evening. We definitely felt like as we were tossed around in the water. It was like the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disneyland. But Wayne was one heck of a good skipper and even though we were all pretty wet by the end of the trip, it was quite memorable. We still managed to catch the fireworks, simulcast on the radio. It was a trip I definitely won't forget.

Things I've Grown Really Tired of Hearing About 24/7

1) Michael Jackson: I've mourned his death but now I'm tired of the consistent reporting. Like him or not, let him rest in peace. Unfortunately the tabloids won't stop, the news reports won't stop, and the press won't stop. The funny thing is all this time nobody really "knew" about all these drug problems. What exactly has the media been doing the last few years? Their sources suck.

2) Jon & Kate: WHO CARES about these people so obviously exploiting the media for their own good? I truly feel sorry for the real victims in this, their eight children. I don't give a crap who's having an affair.

3) Brangelina: They're together, they're apart, they're together, they're apart. Once again, there are children at stake but of course that means nothing.

I wonder how long I have to wait before I can spend a whole week (heck, even one day) without hearing about these tired topics. Last I heard there were a few wars going on in the world, there is poverty and strife, but those don't mean anything anymore.

Turning Back Time

Just a month ago Roger Federer beat Andy Roddick at Wimbledon in one of the most memorable matches in history. I thought that would be the sports story of the year. But this weekend at the British Open was perhaps the sports story of the decade (and beyond). While 59 in golf usually stands for the "unattainable" 18-hole score, this weekend it stood for the age of one Tom Watson, who turned back the clock and came within one stroke of winning a tournament usually reserved for people half his age. If there had been even a shred of justice in the world, he would have sunk that putt on the 18th hole. But alas it wasn't meant to be. Maybe when I'm 59 I'll still be beating those young whippersnappers at something.

Long Long Ago...

The last two days I worked at Fraser Downs to cover some vacations. It was nice to catch up with the wonderful staff that I remember way back when. It's hard to believe that it's been almost 8 months since I had to say goodbye to everyone. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and I managed to get outside for a few wonderful breaks. I hope I can visit again soon.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Last night I went to see the next installment of the Harry Potter series. Believe it or not, I'd never seen any of the previous chapters, or read any of the books. As a result I found myself confused at what was going on, but managed to make sense of it all. The visual effects were stunning and the British actors were at their best.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Surprisingly it took me this long to finally see the second installment of last year's awesome blockbuster. It was time for more automotive fights and more Megan Fox. OK I'll be the first to say it: Megan Fox is one sexy lady but she really served no purpose in this movie other than to show off her front. Her running was done in Baywatch-like fashion and her voice was rather annoying.

Oh yeah, the Autobots! Awesome! Optimus Prime Forever!

Tim Horton's Plug

For the next month or so I'll be getting mostly morning shifts 6am-2pm. While it is usually quite the effort to get to bed early and wake up at 5:10 in the morning, the reward of a full day after work is well worth it. It's tough to get my usual 8-10 hours of sleep but caffeine carries me through the day. But because we're fairly short in the mornings I don't have too much time to do my paperwork. Still, it's nice to see the morning crew after being on midshifts for so long.

Death of a Laptop

The hard drive on my laptop died a few days ago. Luckily I'd installed Norton and subscribed to some online backup thing that saved some of my documents. But it will be a long process to get the files back. The alternative is to bring my broken hard drive to one of those disk recovery services and pay over $500. I'll see what I can recover. Music I can redownload. But the sad part is all the emails I've saved may be gone. Boo hoo.

Enough Already

I chose to remember MJ for his music and not his private life. The same can't be said for the hypocritical journalists who one minute are making fun of him and the next are mourning him. Let him rest in peace.

Peace and Tranquility

I seemingly vanished from the face of the Earth the last four days. That was because a very wonderful girl took me on a surprise getaway to Whistler. We stayed at the Nita Lake Lodge, an absolutely beautiful place overlooking the water. Time stood still for the weekend as I (more or less) forgot about work and life, and even Restaurant City. On my birthday (June 29) I was treated to a wonderful dinner at the lodge's restaurant, Jordan's Crossing. It was a wonderful complement to a memorable weekend.

Thank you to my baby for taking care of me this weekend.

Break

I have the weekend off to spend with someone who's planned something special. I have no idea what we're doing but whatever it is, I know I'm going to be happy. Don't think about work....don't think about work....don't think about work.

RIP Michael Jackson 1958-2009

Flashback to the night of August 31, 1997. I remember I was dealing roulette that night when the dealer supervisor whispered to me "Princess Diana just died". I remember how sad I was that night. I watched the TV report in the breakroom and was in shock.

Today, 12 years later, I felt that same sadness. Yes, for the last few years Michael Jackson was only remembered for a lot of bad things, from his reclusiveness to his strange behaviour to his lawsuit. Maybe as a person he was somebody that wasn't liked.

But I remember Michael Jackson for an album that was released 27 years ago, perhaps the greatest album of all time. Who hasn't danced to Thriller, or any of the other amazing hits? He has influenced so many musicians from his music to his dancing. There shall be no one else like him. His music will live on forever.

RIP Farrah Fawcett 1947-2009

After a long battle with cancer, Farrah Fawcett passed away this morning. Has it really been over 30 years since she first appeared on TV as one of Charlie's Angels? Even though she only appeared for a short time on the show she became a 70's icon. Her relationship with Ryan O'Neal more or less stood the test of time. Once again the world has lost a great person too soon.

The Proposal

We went to Silvercity Metropolis after dinner, thinking that after a week there wouldn't be as much people watching. Boy were we wrong, the theater was almost full (except for the front seats). I was thinking it was probably a good movie then, and it was. Sure most of the story was predictable but there were a few very nice laughs. Betty White was amazing as the Grandma of Ryan Reynold's character. She is ageless. I grew up watching her in the 70's on The Match Game, as well as other game shows. Sandra Bullock was strangely cast as a mean boss but it worked.

Wake Up Fido

I want the new iPhone 3GS but the idiots at Fido won't let me get it at the discounted rate. I have to pay $800+ although I will get a $100 "promotion" discount plus $30 or so in FidoDollars. Big deal. I can also switch to Rogers and get a similar plan to what I am getting but about $10 more/month. Ridiculous Fido, I've been with them for over 10 years and it means absolutely nothing to them. Now I have a decision to make.

Repeat

And so ends another strange week in the life and times of a random guy in the universe. It's amazing how a day can go so well and then suddenly out of nowhere bad things happen... in threes. As a result I had a week of interrupted sleep. But now my week is over and I can relax on my days off.

So why aren't I asleep yet at 1:40 in the morning?

Russell Peters x 5

I haven't missed a Russell Peters show since he became famous and last night I got to see him perform in front of an almost sold-out GM Place audience. He was at his best and managed to put together almost 2 hours of hilarity. While he didn't make as much fun of the "Asians" as usual he was just as funny. No culture was taboo. I guess the only bad part was a little joke about a certain actor from Burnaby. But as usual I had a good time.

Cloverdale Flea Market

This weekend we went to the Cloverdale Flea Market for the first time. It's strange that I spent almost a year working at Fraser Downs and never went to the Flea Market. It was a lot bigger than I thought and there were a number of good deals, but we didn't end up buying anything. We just enjoyed spending time together.

Late Night

I should have been in bed a long time ago but I decided to stay up to watch Jimmy Fallon because tonight the guest was one of my favorite TV stars, Betty White. I don't know how many times I've seen her on TV in my life. I grew up watching her in so many shows (Match Game, Password, etc.). I can't wait to see her in the Sandra Bullock-Ryan Reynolds flick The Proposal.

Up

Amy and I went to see this Pixar cartoon that was done in the new 3-D technology. We got the silly little glasses and enjoyed a surprisingly sad (in the beginning) tale. The effects were pretty cool and there were even some trailers for more 3-D flicks coming up. This was a nice end to yet another wonderful weekend.

Romantique

My latest obsession (and it seems I'm not the only one among my coworkers and friends) is Restaurant City, a highly addictive Facebook application. At first I thought it was a silly little game but now it's gotten to a point where I have to at least check on "my" restaurant whenever I can. Damn you, Facebook and Playfish!

Anyhow, drop by my restaurant and get your free ingredient from me! Meanwhile, I need peas!

Update

Life is good. I've been better, I've been worse. But now there's somebody taking the road with me.

Weekend Part 2 - White Rock and Giraffe Restaurant

After Deacon's Corner, we drove to White Rock for some lazy time on the beach. The weather was gorgeous and of course the view at Ocean Park was amazing. Dinner was at Giraffe Restaurant, both of our dishes were delicious. We spent a total of five hours there and wished we could have spent more. It was a nice relaxing weekend; I hope I can do this every week for the rest of my life.

Weekend Part 1 - Deacon's Corner

Lunch today was spent at a nice little diner near Gastown called Deacon's Corner, recommended by our good friend Maureen. My corned beef hash was delicious and Amy had a yummy English Muffin and Sausage. I never would have known about this nice place had it not been for Maureen, so thanks! She has a habit of picking just the right restaurant.

Eat Vancouver

The weekend's festivities included attending the Eat Vancouver show at B.C. Place Stadium. We got to sample a large variety of foods and even a bit of wine and sake. There were a lot of interesting products, but unfortunately there wasn't a lot of beef tasting!

Afterwards Amy and I went to Osaka Teppanyaki for a nice dinner.

Star Trek

"Space, the final frontier...."; and so the story begins of how one James Tiberius Kirk became the captain of NCC-1701. While I was never a big fan of the old Star Trek series, I did watch some of the episodes and remember the chemistry and comraderie of the cast. This movie was a great salute to the old series, with a lot of the old jokes. The actor who played the young Spock was scarily similar to Leonard Nimoy (who has a great role in the movie as well) and Simon Pegg was hilarious as Scotty. It would have been nice to see that William Shatner fellow have at least a cameo. But it wasn't meant to be.

Terminator Salvation

Part 1 of action movie night started with the fourth installment of the Terminator franchise. Usually by now a sequel would become a prequel and tell the story of how the movie started in the first place (see Batman, Superman, X-Men, etc.). Arguably this was similar as it told the story of how John Connor met his son who is actually older than he is, etc. But how can you have a Terminator movie without The Governator? Well technically he did show up but perhaps only for a laugh. All in all, as expected, the movie was full of amazing action sequences and CGI, but it lacked a sensible story line.

Back to Reality

I didn't win the Lotto 6/49 jackpot of $50 million. At least somebody in Western Canada did so I didn't have to make plans to fly to Eastern Canada. I hope it's one of my relatives or REALLY good friends.

Dancing With the Stars

Sometimes I don't understand what all the hype is with all these celebrity reality shows. For me, last night was a good example of how silly they really are. For the last four weeks of the show, it had nothing to do with who was the better dancer, but rather who was the most popular. Ask any dancing judge who was the better dancer last night and almost all of them would have said Gilles Marini. But we all know the show has nothing to do with skill. The same goes for American Idol. The better person doesn't always win.

$49 Mllion

The 6/49 jackpot for this Wednesday is a paltry $49 million. Well what am I going to do with so little money? Hopefully it will go to somebody who doesn't live east of Manitoba as it almost always does. It's about time the jackpot goes to a River Rock floor manager who wants to go back to Vegas as soon as possible.

Dinner and Dessert

Tonight Amy and I had dinner on the patio of Monk McQueen's. The weather was gorgeous and the view was beautiful. Across the water I could see the old Concorde Pacific side which brought back a lot of memories. After dinner we took a little walk then went downtown to the Marble Slab Creamery for some yummy ice cream. This is a cool concept, although it was a bit on the pricey side.

Boo Hoo Canucks

After a gallant season, the Canucks bowed out of the playoffs to the Chicago Blackhawks last night. Unfortunately, as usual, the city of Vancouver was quick to jump off the bandwagon as they always due. Blogs were already giving Luongo a hard time. This is Roberto Luongo, the hardest working hockey player by far, the one who came back from injury to lead the Canucks into the playoffs. This is Roberto Luongo, the goalie who can literally steal a game for Vancouver with death-defying saves. But of course as usual, the Vancouver press will have only bad things to say. Will anybody thank the Canucks for a memorable season (that includes the so-called fans)? No, because as usual they jump off the bandwagon. These are the same fans who had already given up on the Canucks in January. These are the same fans who had already given up after Game 4 because supposedly the Canucks didn't have the heart anymore. Well, enjoy the time off the bandwagon. Now at least the real fans in Detroit and Chicago will have something to cheer for.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Next to that space movie, this movie was on my list of "must-see" movies. Even Amy wanted to go see it, but for a different reason. The film was a nice insight for the non-X-Men fanatics into how Wolverine became, well, Wolverine. Hugh Jackman was his usual excellent self playing this character. There were some cool cameos in the movie as well, including a famous poker player.

RIP Danny Gans

It is with sad news that I report the death of one of Las Vegas' most famous performers. Mr. Gans passed away the morning of May 1 and I only found out about this sad news today. I was fortunate to have finally got to see his show at the Wynn on my last trip to Vegas the end of March. His impersonations of performers was amazing. Another life lost way before his time.

Spring Waltz

I've become addicted to this 2006 Korean 20-episode soap. I'm up to Episode 13 and although it's somewhat of a standard Korean drama (boy meets girl, girl likes another boy, etc.) it is very addicting. Evidently Spring Waltz is part of a series of dramas each with seasons in their names. I remember way back when I was addicted to those Chinese tearjerkers on TV. Maybe I won't have time for Facebook.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

I never was a Matthew McCoughney fan (I don't even know how to spell his last name correctly) but I heard good things about this movie. And Michael Douglas was in it so what the heck. I took my good luck charm Amy and once again the movie was a thumbs up. Parts of it really hit home but overall I had a good time. Call me silly but Michael Douglas' performance was so cool that he might even have an outside chance for one of those Oscar nominations.

Swine Flu

There appears to be somewhat of a health scare in the world due to the outbreak of swine flu from Mexico. It's very scary because evidently cases have now been found in North America. There's nothing much one can say except be careful and stay safe. The world is already saddened by financial woes and now it looks like there is something even worse to worry about.

Crack of Dawn

The next two weeks I am on morning shifts (either 7:15am or 7:30am start), a bit of a change from the mostly midshifts I've been accustomed to. While it will be a lot tougher to wake up at 6:30 or so in the morning, it also means that after work I'll have time to do things like taking a pretty girl to dinner and/or a movie. It'll also be good to see the daytime managers because I haven't for awhile.

Hockey Leaks

For all you hockey fans out there, you may or may not be interested to know that I am now the blogger for the Montreal Canadiens on Hockey Leaks. The blog itself will have posts from thirty different bloggers; to see mine click on the Montreal Canadiens label, but make sure you read the other teams too! While my first post is one of sadness, I hope the future will be bright for my beloved team. See you there!

Birdies

It'd been a LONG time since I'd done any form of exercise. Yes, I could argue that all the walking I do as a floor manager can be construed as "exercise" but perhaps it's not the same. Anyways, yesterday, Amy managed to get me to go play some badminton with Andrew, Suzanne, and two of Andrew's friends. I didn't embarrass myself as I thought I would but right now I feel like "fill in the blank". Obviously I didn't stretch enough. Nevertheless it was good to do something other than moping around at home.

P.S Go Habs Go

Susan Boyle

I don't know how many times I've watched the video in the last two days but every time I listen in awe at this beautiful voice. And it's not just the voice it's also the story of how a 47-year-old Scottish lady who has never been kissed has become the singing sensation of the planet. The song she chose "I Dreamed a Dream" is about as appropriate as could be. Each one of us can learn a lesson of how anybody can fulfill his or her dream if she only takes that first step.

Dreams

Britain's Got Talent

I can't watch this show but I heard about this amazing performance so I did a search. Wow, what more can I say? Spectacular!

Fast & Furious

Did I write the title of the movie correctly? What was the first movie called? THE FAST & THE FURIOUS? Gee, what originality they used. Will Part 5 (ooh, will there be a part 5) be called just Fast? Poor Vin Diesel. He realized that he had no movie career outside of this franchise (although perhaps a sequel to the Chronicles of Riddick would be better). Nothing much about this movie, fast cars, that's about it. I'm just waiting until movies such as Star Trek and Transformers come out.

Observe and Report

After catching up on things with Joe over dinner we decided to watch this "Dave Letterman"-recommended movie starring Seth Rogen. It was his usual gross humor, and while there was nothing special about the flick, it was OK. I'm not sure about seeing Anna Faris as a blonde bimbo character; she didn't seem to fit into her role. And then since it was only 9:30 we decided to walk into the other theater to watch....

Masters

I just finished watching the sudden-death playoff of the 2009 Masters. Wow. Congratulations to Angel Cabrera, and also my heart goes out to Kenny Perry. He led for so much of the tournament but in the end, one errant shot was disastrous. It was great to see how two 40+ golfers could withstand the charges of the younger generation (including stellar efforts from two guys named Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson). This was one for the ages indeed.

Hockey Playoffs

The time is near once again for the NHL playoffs, and time for another great story. Can the Red Wings do it with arguably one of the weakest goaltending tandems in a while? Can the Habs do it on the 100th anniversary of their existence? After all, they are 24-7 all time in playoff matchups against the Bruins. Can the Sharks finally show heart in the playoffs? What will all those Canuck fans who gave up on their team three months ago do now that their team is one of the hottest heading in? Tune in folks.

P.S. Go Habs Go!

Randomness

And so ends yet another work week for the random guy in the universe. Things are a bit more relaxed at work but unfortunately morale is not too good. We are still feeling the aftereffects of the world "crisis" but hopefully things get better, especially with the upcoming Olympics and the building of the Canada Line. We shall see.

Ill

What had originally seemed to be a great weekend is turning into a solitary time recovering from a bout of the flu. I'd thought my 7:30am shift on Friday would mean I could spend time in the evening with someone but throughout the day I started to sneeze and realized that I was starting to get sick. Lo and behold this morning I barely made it to work for my 3:30 shift. I was not in good shape and went home early. Work or stay home, tough choice. I hope my rest tonight will result in being refreshed for my two days off.

Vegas Recap

Well, that makes it 4 times in 10 months (and twice this year) that I've been to Vegas. While in the past I've spent most of my time gambling, these trips have been mostly about going to shows and fine dining. So for those thinking about going I present to you the best and worst. Feel free to email me if you have questions.

Best Show: It's a tough one. I've seen Donny and Marie three times now (and yes folks, the ticket was $260+ each time but the chance to meet and talk to one of the sexiest looking 49-year-old ladies in the world made it worthwhile) but I'd have to say the Danny Gans show at the Encore was awesome. He's that good.

Worst Show: Hands down it is Criss Angel's Believe. It doesn't help that before Joe and I watched the show we talked to ten people and they all said it was a bad show. It sucked. You could see the wires and to say it was a Cirque du Soleil show is an insult to Cirque du Soleil. Plus it's over $100. NO.

Best Afternoon Show (and Best Value): If you like magic, then go see the Mac King show. It's great value and the guy is pretty good too. It's a small theater but he's amazing with his closeup magic.

Best Food on a Budget: Fatburger of course! Well, not when Joe and I went. They do make the best burgers in Vegas and if you dare, join me as one of the elite who have eaten a Tripleking Burger (that's 1.5 pounds of meat! WOOOOOO!).

Favorite Steakhouse: Bally's Steakhouse, and make sure you ask for James because he's by far our favorite waiter. The restaurant has 50% off entrees if you get a coupon from Tix4Tonite, you can't beat that. By the way, when you go to Vegas always check out the Tix4Tonite booths for deals on shows.

Best View: While the view from the "fake" Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas is nice, nothing beats going to the Voodoo Lounge at the Rio. It is 50 floors up and the patio has a panoramic view of Vegas. Simply breathtaking and great for taking princesses to.

Handy Airline Tips: On the third trip back from the airport, I inadvertantly left my bottled water in my carry-on, as well as a lighter that I was going to give as a souvenir. No no. On the last trip, Joe was worried about his Gillette Fusion blades that he bought. Those were OK, but unfortunately his bottle of Listerine was a weapon of mass destruction and had to be removed. Silly.

Most Beautiful 49-Year-Old: Oh I did that one already.

Duplicity

Clive Owen as a spy, what a stretch for him. This Clive Owen-Julia Roberts pairing was quite good, and the movie was quite enjoyable. It did end up getting a bit predictable in the end, but there was some good chemistry between the two. It's nice to see Julia Roberts back in business.

Knowing

While in Vegas, Joe and I managed to catch one movie, the new Nicholas Cage thriller Knowing. The story was quite interesting, but unfortunately once "the secret" came out, everything went downhill. It is unfortunate that the storyline couldn't have been thought out a bit better.

Returning to Reality

I haven't posted since my return to civilization after my trip to "that place" March 22-26. It was a nice relaxing holiday that would have been better had I not lost on the gaming tables. But I got to see my favorite show (and person?) in Vegas (no need to ask who that is) and caught some other nice shows too. Now I've seen every Cirque du Soleil show in Vegas except for O.

Unfortunately it looks like there will be no more Vegas trips for a while. I've taken way too many holidays for the year and will have to start saving money again.

Save the Last Dance For Me

I miss you baby.

Natasha Richardson 1963-2009

I am saddened by the sudden and tragic death of actress Natasha Richardson, the wife of Liam Neeson. She died in a freak accident while skiing in Montreal. Sometimes your time comes far too soon, and without warning. May she rest in peace.

Olympics Bleh

When Vancouver/Whistler was awarded the 2010 Olympics I was of the opposing view, and that hasn't changed. In fact, I hate what it's done to the city. First a lot of businesses on Cambie Street had to close down due to all the construction of the almighty Canada Line. We hear of the unbelievable underbudgeting of security and other costs. It's quite obvious the traffic "plan" is a farce; things are bad enough as it is. And now we hear that Hastings Racecourse will be closed down for a month because of security concerns. Thank you VANOC for screwing around with the lives of 200 workers who will receive no compensation. I can't wait to see all the extra taxes we'll have to pay. How long did it take to pay off the Olympic Stadium in Montreal again?

Movies

I had dinner with Joe then we watched two interesting DVD's. The first one Miracle at St. Anna's, a very powerful movie from Spike Lee. While I'm usually not a fan of war movies, this film was more than that. The ending was bittersweet but was well made. Then we saw Man on Wire, a documentary that won the recent Oscars. It was a documentary on Philippe Petit, the Frenchman who wirewalked across the Twin Towers of New York way back in 1974. Wirewalking, something I'm sure I'll never do in my lifetime.

Upcoming Movies

Upcoming movies that I can't wait to see.

Watchmen
Star Trek
Duplicity
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Wake Up

Sleep is such a precious commodity and for most of 2009 I have not been able to get a lot of it, or rather I've been getting it sporadically. But the last week or so things have been getting better. Thank you to a special someone who has the kindest heart in the world.