(from Bruce MacKinnon at the Chronicle Herald)

Since when do The Killers command a $32-$45 ticket price?

1. Jay Farrar . “White Freightliner Blues”
2. LCD Soundsystem . “Losing My Edge”
3. Mountain Goats . “Quito”
4. Sahara Hotnights . “Alright Alright”
5. Magneta Lane . “The Constant Lover”
6. Tindersticks . “4:48 Psychosis”
7. Wolf Mother . “Woman”
8. White Magic . “One Note”
9. Varnaline . “Let It All Come Down”
10. Sweetheart . “On/Off”
11. Pixies . “Isla De Encanta”
12. Pale . “Start/Stop”

The Globe reports that IATA has ranked the Halifax International Airport, a fairly small airport, best in the Americas. I wouldn’t have expected that, but now that they mention it, it has gotten much better since all the renovations were completed. My only complaint is the traffic; it’s still a logjam trying to drop off or pick up at the main entrances/exits.

Hey, it’s probably the only airport where you can buy a box of lobster and carry it on the plane.

Who knew that leaving two spaces after a period drew so much ire from the snobby editors & typographers of the world? Here, Microsoft’s Robert Scoble introduces us to Bill Hill, who explains why you should never do it (and also why you should never underline, and also why The Scotsman is the most erudite newspaper in the whole world).

Then you have Taddle Creek magazine, who snickers and barks at anyone who would dare to send them a submission with two spaces after a period. My one and only attempt at self-inflicted literary humiliation was aimed at Taddle Creek, and it was back in the day when I, too, suffered from the dread condition of the double-space.

But it goes much further: Google finds 938 hits for the exact phrase “two spaces after a period”, some of which lead to such insight as, “Those people who learned to type on a typewriter had ‘typing two spaces after a period at the end of a sentence’ beaten into them by frustrated old maids with licorice on their breath.”, as well as this: “Secretaries…are irritated by the lowly IT tech guy who tells them that they’re using the system of digital text representation wrong…”

And the battle rages on.

I just can’t get myself to post any more about Terri Schiavo. It’s been beaten to death, and any confusion I had about it is gone. I was confused before, as I couldn’t figure out whether the government was getting involved because of their detachment from reality or because they were trying to get political leverage out of a dying woman. That the latter is true is becoming clearer with every leaked offensive talking point, every dead black Texan child and every asinine Tom DeLay quote.

I have to sleep now.

A couple of weeks ago the weight finally just got out of control. I had reached 230 pounds, a level I only approached once before: when I was working like a dog at Delano, eating either pubfood or McDonald’s every night, getting no exercise whatsoever and drinking 5+ cans of pepsi a day. About a year after that I’d switched to diet pepsi, was running the stairs at Casa Loma every other night when weather permitted, cut about half the crap out of my diet, got a regular job (and, therefore, regular sleep) and was single, thus getting my weight down to about 195. In the four years since then, I appear to have gotten fat and happy again, and as of two weeks ago — in the midst of a chest cold which prevented any exercise — was back up to 230. I’m 6’2″; four more pounds and my BMI would officially be considered “obese”.

Thoroughly disgusted with myself, I set out to get back to 195 (or better) and actually fit into some of the clothes I bought four years ago, which I still have in my closet, apparently to torture myself daily. And so, no more daily muffins and hot chocolate. Less frequent buying of the lunch. Back to running 3/4 times a week. And hopefully basketball will start again soon.

Current weight: 223.

“Quito” by The Mountain Goats.

• Can somebody tell me why “the teenager was a loner who usually wore black” is a relevant piece of information in the Minnesota school shooting story?If I hear the term “trenchcoat mafia”, or that he liked to play violent video games, I’ll freak out.
• Can somebody tell me why we should give a single solitary fuck about Camilla what’s-her-pickle becoming the Queen?
• I have a lot more to say about Terri Schiavo, just like everybody else in the world. When I have time, and have calmed down somewhat, I’ll spout it out just to lower my blood pressure.

Very, very good: my new albums by Mogwai, Black Mountain and The Heartless Bastards.

Very, very bad: Starship Troopers 2.

Very, very creepy: Triumph Of The Will. Obviously, the subject matter is abhorrent. But the technical skill Leni Reifenstahl had, considering it was the mid-1930s, was stunning. I find it’s serving two purposes: 1) to remind me that the German citizens, while not Nazis, were still capable of supporting and allowing that party to fulfill its plans; 2) that governments are more than adept at sponsoring & creating propaganda to get the masses on their side, no matter how repugnant the goals.