PB&J....A OK

There are few things in life that are so simple they can't possibly go wrong, let you down, or make you feel bad. PB&J is one of those. Weather dreaming of a restaurant called PB&J's like Kramer, or simply satisfying a craving, PB&J is definitely one of the best inventions of all time. It's so simple any child can do it, and was a mainstay of my diet for the majority of my childhood. Some people have tried to jazz it up with Banana, or honey, or other toppings, but at its heart PB&J will always be the mainstay. It doesn't seem to matter what kind of Jam you prefer, or if you like crunchy or smooth, it all works. There is no such thing as a bad Peanut Butter and Jam sand which. Period. I feel real sorry for all those young kids out there who are allergic to Peanut Butter. I mean, they will never know what they are missing. I don't know how I would deal with it...to this day I still enjoy PB&J, and always will. It doesn't matter how old you are, it's still great. And you never get tired of it. So, that's my opinion, let us know what your favorite toppings are.

It's Clever As Long As It's Not Trying To Make You Laugh

I agree with Brodie but there's one major clarification to be made here. Frasier was one of the last truly intelligent sitcoms on TV. There's still plenty of good, intelligent shows. But anything that is supposed to make you laugh is for the most part plain stupid these days. I loathe the laugh-track because I don't find 90% of the shit funny. If you want to truly laugh, and aren't a complete idiot, shows like Arrested Development are absolutely hilarious. Of course those [insert bad word here] people at Fox cancelled it for god-knows-what reason.

Where Have all the Clever Ones Gone?

I have recently been watching the first few seasons of Frasier, and have come to the conclusion that it was one of the last truly intelligent shows on TV. While his character can come off as pompous, overly intellectual, and self interested he is more often than not witty, clever, and through him we can observe the problems and obstacles that face many of us in our daily lives. The only character that comes close to this in recent memory is Wilson in Home Improvement, not that it was an overly intellectual show, but it did an impressive job of reflecting the everyday lives of ordinary people. There seems to be little of this nature left on TV today, or those that are left are simply a reflection or a repetition of what has come before it. While the humor in Frasier is often esoteric and over the head of many, including myself, it challenged you to try and engage it or understand what the were talking about in order to make sense of it. Many of the popular medical shows on today are based on simple minded plots and use psudo-medical mumbo jumbo to try and make it entertaining. I can understand this, as actually showing what goes on in these places may not make for such fascinating TV. Or others that are all about the romantic lives of those who work at the hospital, which we are apparently supposed to find intriguing (cough - Grey's Anatomy) - Scrubs is one of the few remaining shows that seems to be humorous and smart while not trying to do to much with what they work with. My buddy Casey has also been talking about Frasier in his blog, and is a more dedicated fan then myself, so check out his thoughts on the subject if interested. As for what is worthwhile watching, while there are some shows like Rome, or the Sopranos that are worth your time. Other than that, to each is own. Now you know how I feel, what's your say?

Happiness Is A Pint Of Beer

Beer is truly an amazing thing. It's been around for thousands of years, is made in hundreds of countries, comes in a rediculous amount of varieties, and it tastes good too. I could go on, but I just wanted to post my list of 10 favorite beers. This list changes on a weekly basis mind you, but hey if you haven't tried any of these go for it.

1. Guinness Draught
2. Unibroue Maudite
3. Bass & Co. Pale Ale
4. Mill Street Coffee Porter
5. Sapporo
6. Fuller's London Porter
7. Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Beer
8. Mcauslan St.Ambroise Oatmeal Stout
9. Big Rock Traditonal Ale
10. Red Stripe

Beer Banter

So, as Aaron noted earlier, we have begun a collection of beer and started a wall to enshrine these wonderful beverages. While we have been collecting these various samples we have come across some that will refresh, some that will be enjoyed in moderation, and some that could be used to pump some ones stomach as vomiting is sure to follow. Aaron tends to prefer the heavier more "flavoured" beverages, and while I enjoy some of them, others ought to be used as an alternative source of fuel, as drinking them and gas seems to be roughly the same. I'll give Aaron credit, he is braver and more adventurous when it comes to tasting than myself, but that doesn't always mean he's drinking good beer. However, he's right more often than not. Lee too has contributed some interesting choices, and some less than memorable ones as well. He prefers those skunky southern beers of a lighter nature. Not bad on a hot day. Myself, I prefer the more mainstream, or less rich beers, ones with a bit of flavour, but not an overabundance. Anyway, here is a list of my 10 favorites, in no particular order. I would recommend any of them. Cheers.

Labatt Blue, Bass Pale Ale, Creemore Spring Lager, Big Rock Grasshopper, Big Rock Traditional Ale, Sleeman Cream Ale, Maudite, Miller Genuine Draft, Ricard's Red, Samuel Adams

The Beer Wall

At the beginning of the school year, when we moved into our new apartment, I suggested the idea of a beer wall. We took it one step further and turned into an adventure in beer tasting. Basically almost every week since we have attempted to go the Beer Store/LCBO and purchase a beer that isn't yet on the wall, and put it up there. Since we recently hit the 50 unique beers mark, we decided to compile and put up the complete list.
Just a note, and a shout out to the third roomate, Mr. Lee Gardner was a contributor to the wall (his girlfriend and him have a blog you can check out, it's under links). Anyway, here is the glorious list:

Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale
Bass & Co. Pale Ale
Beck's
Big Rock Grasshopper
Big Rock Traditonal Ale
Blue Pilsner
Boddington's Pub Ale
Brahma
Bud Light
Budweiser
Busch
Canadian Lager
Carib Lager
Carlsberg
Coors Light
Corona Extra
Creemore Springs Lager
Dos Equis
Fuller's London Porter
Grolsch Lager
Guinness Draught
Harp Lager
Heineken Lager
Hoegaarden Blonde
Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Beer
Kokanee
Labatt 50
Leffe Brune
Lucky Lager
Mcauslan Apricot Wheat Ale
Mcauslan St.Ambroise Oatmeal Stout
Mill Street Coffee Porter
Mill Street Tankhouse Ale
Miller Geniune Draft
Moosehead Lager
Patagonia
Red Stripe
Rickard's Red
Samuel Adams Boston Lager
Sapporo
Sleeman Brewery Cream Ale
Sleeman Brewery Honey Brown
Sleeman Brewery Original
Sol
Steamwhistle Pilsner
Stella Artois Lager
Tiger Lager
Unibroue Maudite
Wellington Imperial Russian Stout
Wellington Special Pale Ale

If you are reading this please comment and let us know what your favorite beers are. If it's not already on the wall, we will get it.

Musicals aren't always Gay...

I watched Scrubs tonight...one of my all time favorite TV shows, and one of the best shows on TV right now...and as it happened, it was a musical episode. I'm usually not the musical type, movies like Grease made my inside churn so hard I had to check my stool to make sure they were all still there, but this was different. This was a clever, witty show, as it usually is, and the music was done with an intelligence and sense of humor not usually seen in, well, the very minimal musical experience I have. I know I am not an authority on the subject and many people will be pissed at my quantifying the musical genre as gay, but it isn't exactly the most masculine display a man can make either...and if you don't believe me just watch some choreography from any musical, any one at all. I know singing isn't easy, personally I couldn't carry a tune if some one gave me a case for it, and at times it can be the most moving of experiences, but all the dancing and prancing around tends to detract/distract from what the point of it is. Maybe this is the point...I'm not really sure. I thought there was usually some sort of story involved too. Anyway, scrubs isn't the first show to do this. they do a creative episode every year, such as My Way Home, and these are among the best episodes the show has ever done. The Drew Carey show also did a lot of creative episode, including musical ones, and they to were funny and entertaining, although they were done in a more traditional musical fashion. And apparently Buffy the Vampire Slayer did one too...who knew, thanks for the tip Aaron. Anyway, the point is, that there can be musical entertainment that can appeal to all, but it is a rarity...

Speaking of Bloc Party...

Yup, they kick ass. If you haven't heard of them yet, check them out. And as much as I HATE MySpace, here is a link because they have a MySpace site for whatever reason (at least you can listen to their music there): Bloc Party

The Real British Empire

When most people think of the British Empire, they think of a bunch of pasty face, wig wearing, Victorian Era prudes whose only interests were tea, and conquering all those who didn't look like them until half the world map was red. Well, Ok, maybe not that much has changed. However, I suggest to you that the most powerful and influential empire that the British ever had and ever will have, is their music. That's right, the volume and quality of music to come out of the UK is unsurpassed by any nation, and in my opinion it never will be. Back in the 1960's, well before most of you were around, the British Invasion began and bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were introduced to America. This began a trend that was followed up by the likes of Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Clash, Elton John and others. (U2 is proudly Irish, so they are in their own category). These are all household names, and their music is not only timeless, it is still better than anything out there today. Granted there is only so many places to go with music, but these men were the ones that paved the way for the music of today, and their work is simply incredible, as is their talent. The United States has produced the likes of Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, CCR, Aerosmith, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Jimi Hendrix and others, but their work is secondary compared to much of the work of the Brits. Though other than Jimmy Page, Hendrix and Clapton are arguably the best to ever pick up a guitar...And is it just me or do American Rock Stars tend to take it to far? - Hendrix, Morrison, Joplin, Cobain - all gone long before their time. Not that the Brits stayed off drugs - just look at Keith Richards or listen to any late Beatles or Zeppelin album. This aside the Brits will always have their music and with up and coming bands like Bloc Party and the Arctic Monkeys which my roommates introduced me too, the future looks bright for them. For anyone interested in more modern music, check out my buddy Casey Li's blog as he is much more interested/informed/intelligent on the matter of music then myself, and has some great stuff posted on his blog in regards to newer music. Now, to put an end to this speech, here is a list of some of my favorite Canadian bands, out of patriotic duty, in no particular order. Enjoy.

The Guess Who, BTO, Rush, Stabilo, Sloan, OLP, Neil Young, GOB, Treble Charger, The Tragically Hip, Arcade Fire, Steppenwolf, Sam Roberts

Video Games (AKA Geek Crack)

My brother and I decided to split our Christmas cash and bought an Xbox 360. Great idea at the time, me being home for Christmas. In retrospect the fact that I don't live in the same house as him, let alone the same city, for the majority of the year turned out not that great of an idea. We picked the 360 up on boxing day, braving the rampage of farmers and small-town folks at Walmart wanting to get discounted high definition TVs (yes, even farmers are going high def apparently). I spent every spare moment i could playing it. A week later though I had to leave to go back to Ottawa. Well, I left the console there, thinking that I won't miss it for a bit. I worked out a deal with my brother to get the machine in a week or two.
Fast forward to the next day where I am sitting in the corner of my room in the fetal position, shaking and salivating from the mouth...OK, not quite. but damn did I really want to play again. Which brings me to the conclusion that video games are like crack to the geek-minded. Like illicit drugs, video games can be a considerable burden on finances. They can affect your health and social life, just like drugs. And they can be ridiculously addictive, just like crack. And Microsoft has taken that one step further by providing great online functionality for cracked-out people to talk and play together over the Internet. I always saw Bill Gates as the drug-dealer type...
Anyway, I had a lot more to talk about and even had a picture planned (hell this post was actually making sense in my head), but i have high-definition games that need playing.

Oh yeah, if anyone reading this plays on Live, go ahead and add me to your friends list if you want. My gamertag is aaronS.

Forget me not...

Caught a bit of the Golden Globes last night, and saw a few interesting things.

Forrest Whitaker won for best actor, and promptly became so overwhelmed, that his speech was well, less then memorable, basically non exist ant - proving that even the best actors can't always be on.

Grey's Anatomy won for best TV something, which means that apparently women were voting for this award...

Clint Eastwood won for best director foreign film or something like that, Oscar prediction - he will once again defeat Martin Scorcesse once again chapping my ass....that's right...and proving that Martin is jinxed, even though he won best director for The Departed. Not that I dislike Clint Eastwood, but Scorcesse has directed some of the finest movies ever made, and deserves recognition, but he is constantly passed over - guess he's not in the mob after all. Anyway, it would be nice to see him win an award like this because of his volume of quality work, and don't tell me the Oscar's don't work that way...I'm not that naive. So remember that the next time you see a great film that was overlooked on Oscar night.

Video pick - GoodFellas - one of Martin's best, and one of the best Gangster films ever made. Nough said.

Also - Sens, Leafs, Oilers and Canucks won tonight. Keep your stick on the ice.

Ranting for the sake of Ranting

Ok...so as Aaron has pointed out, I have Hockey on the brain...so we won't discuss that today. We will instead discuss...Football. A drastic turn I know, I hope that's ok, didn't mean to scare you there. Anyway, The Colts and Patriots won in the AFC so the Championship Game goes Sunday in Indianiapolis. The first time the AFC Championship game has been held in a dome stadium...random I know. As for the NFC the feel good story of the year is the New Orleans Saints who will travel to Solider Field to play the Chicago Bears. My opinion - Indi faces N'Orleans in the Super Bowl, and Indi takes it. I know I am an Indi fan, but their much improved defense has them looking like a team that can win games no matter what. And now for something else entirely...

So, what exactly is with the term black ice? Is it just me or does it seem racist? I mean, it is often deemed to be the worst of the ice family, and lets face it, it's not always black. It could be grey or any number of colours depending in the surface, and ice itself has no real color...unless you colour it. So think about it the next time you fall flat on your ass, and curse your clumsy feet, not the ice you fell on. Under the advice of a friend, this blog should contain interesting and crazy stuff. Freedom of speech, you know. Hope you enjoy.

OK time for something shorter and more random, without any mention of hockey. It really does amaze/intrigue/annoy me though how much my roommate can go on about hockey. And other topics, if you bother reading this blog. Well, I'm here to contribute something more concise, but not necessarily any more meaningful. Photos, interesting stories, anything geek-related. Whatever comes out of my mind in my usual lonely state at 3 AM. I guess I'm just too lazy to start my own blog, so I'll leech onto this one.

How do you save a dolphin that has swallowed something it shouldn't have? Apparently, a really tall Chinese man.

FOX

Ok, I'm going to vent for a bit here. Specifically on the Fox network. While they have managed to produce some good shows like the Simpsons, they have also committed many atrocities that should not go unpunished. Here they are as I see them.

1. Introduced the world to reality TV. Possibly the most mind-draining, intelligence dulling means of communication ever devised. It require absolutely no thought, or knowledge of, well....anything to be able to enjoy this tripe. While not all of it is bad, it can at times be entertaining in a certain light, its still a sad sign of what our society has come too. We are willing to let others mindlessly entertain us and sit there watching them, not intellectually challenging ourselves to think or go out into the big bad world and enjoy our own lives.

2. Cancelling good shows - Firefly, Futurama, (Briefly) - Family Guy - Fox actually had some great programs such as these, and chose to cancel them for God knows what reason. Maybe Rupert is on the sauce, but those who run the station seem to have no idea when they actually have something good on their hands. Pathetic.

3. Fox sports - The Glowing puck. I know this is long gone, and hasn't been talked of in a while, but it still bugs me. As a Canadian, the black and white contrast of the puck and the ice seems to be straightforward enough, but hey, that's just me. Why they felt they needed this, most people will never know, but it's gone, and that's all that really matters.

Don't take this as a total dismissal of this network, other networks aren't much better, just ask Jay Leno, they have some apparently good shows in PrisonBreak and 24, I haven't seen much of either, but between their pass follies and their so called news network, they seemed to deserve this the most, so here it is. Whatever you may think.

Some photos from last night

Hockey Day in Canada

So, today is the first day of this blog. AS it is Hockey Day in Canada, it seemed appropriate to start with something related to the great Canadian game. Ottawa took game one in a romp over the Habs 8-3, continuing their stellar play of late. Helping to solidify their march to the post season. Captain Daniel Alfredson led the way with a five point performance. In totally unrelated news, my Hockey team won today, intramural hockey has been a blast, and is highly recommended for any students coming to Ottawa U. In later action tonight the injury decimated Leafs take on the very-hot-of-late Canucks. Roberto Luongo is having an MVP type season in Vancouver, while Todd "sucker punch" Bertuzzi is injured again, and has been most of the year...Gee, wonder who won that trade? Not that I think Bertuzzi is a bad player, but Luongo is definitely the more valuable commodity, and as the saying goes the team that gets the best player wins...just ask the San Jose sharks, who have also been rolling a bit of late, and continue to score in bunches. The last, and what I think will be the best game of the day will feature Calgary and Edmonton, in the incredibly close NorthWest division. This game should be very entertaining, and fast paced. The flames are without Jerome Iginla, but have been playing decent hockey of late, and Edmonton is coming off a loss last night to Minnesota, another division rival, and they need the points, should be fun in Alberta. These teams play each other eight times a year, which the league plans to address, as that is simply too many, everyone should play each other at least once, like the NBA does. This may sound overly patriotic, but the two best division overall in hockey are the NorthEast and NorthWest - the two Canadian division. The Pacific is a close third. The numbers don't lie. Anyway, the night should be entertaining, so let us know what you think of the games, or your favorite team, or life in general, that's what we're here for. - Not that we expect that many people are reading this.