Your life is trite and jaded

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

This Onion article has had me giggling for the last five minutes:

Members Of Twisted Sister Now Willing To Take It

NEW YORK—In a stunning reversal of their long-stated reluctance to take it, members of heavy-metal band Twisted Sister announced Monday that, after 24 years of fervent refusal, they are now willing to take it. “I acknowledge that we promised not to take it anymore, but things change. The world is a different place today, and with that in mind, we would like to go on record as saying that, starting right now, we are going to take it,” read a statement released by the band’s lead singer, Dee Snyder.

[More at The Onion]

[tags]the onion, twisted sister[/tags]

I am an extraordinary thief

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

The new TV On The Radio starts out strong but then fizzles. The new HBO show True Blood is okay but not great, and a far cry from the likes of The Wire, Deadwood or The Sopranos. Federal elections on both sides of the border leave me cold as candidate after candidate spew the safest tripe and make a supreme effort to not say or do anything that might get notices. I adore how Christopher Hitchens explains why God Is Not Great but it ultimately feels hollow because I know only other atheists will read the book. The new Kings of Leon is like a jelly doughnut: tasty around the edges but squishy in the middle. The first episode of Heroes was rubbish, not that I expected otherwise. Fall is setting in and the sky is already turning that shade of gray that sticks around all winter.

Dear world…excitement: please give me it. Or at least inspire me to manufacture some of my own. Maybe have a radioactive spider bite me or have my condo building taken over by Hans Gruber.

[tags]tv on the radio, true blood, christopher hitchens, kings of leon, heroes[/tags]

The great migration

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

I took a break from setting up the new computer, during the only few hours of the day it didn’t seem to be raining, to see our last Toronto FC game of the season. Things didn’t look good for a long time…an FC defender headed the ball into his own net in the first half, but with just 15 minutes left in the name Marvel Wynne made an amazing run to the middle and blasted it over the Houston keeper to gain a 1-1 tie.

Back home and back to setting up the new hotness, with another long break to order pizza and watch The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (which I really liked) and how here I sit, surrounded by boxes, watching an amazingly clear TV picture in one corner of my screen while I blog on another and watch my Samurize stats in yet another.

[tags]new computer, toronto fc, houston dynamo, the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford[/tags]

Dude, you got a yeah whatever snxxxzzzzzzzz

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

The new computer arrived today but I’m far too wiped to do anything about it. Much as I want to start playing with the new hotness I’m not looking forward to moving all my crap over and doing all the requisite setups and installs. Going out for drinks last night with some MBA friends just made me sleepy, and a long day at work followed by a pile of thai food has pretty much put me in a sweet little coma.

However, there’s nothing on the agenda for the upcoming weekend, save the Toronto FC game tomorrow afternoon, leaving me with plenty of time to set up the computer and deliver the boxes to their inescapable destiny: cat fortress.

[tags]new computer, dell desktop[/tags]

The lazy way they turned your head

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

“Halfway Home” from TV On The Radio‘s latest Dear Science might just be the best song I’ve heard this year.

My convictions about the new Kings of Leon album Only By The Night, on the other hand, are not so strong. The first four songs are excellent; the next five are boring, while the final two are very good. Coincidentally, 6/11 is the same score the album’s running at Metacritic right now.

[tags]tv on the radio, kings of leon[/tags]

Vindaliciousness

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Won’t be writing much tonight. We just stuffed ourselves stupid at Indus Junction with T-Bone. Had a drink at The Paddock first, which was quite cool, except that we were quite literally the only people in the place. Maybe that’s what made it cool.

Anyway, maybe it was the vindaloo shrimp or the vegatable baji or the aloo tikki or the malai kofta or the salmon vindaloo or all the rice & naan, but my stomach is stretched to the limit right now.

Still…want more. Gimme.

[tags]the paddock, indus junction[/tags]

Jumbo shrimp. Open secret. Deafening silence.

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Awesome dentist.

Some time last night I broke a filling (which isn’t even my fault) and left a tiny jagged piece behind, which scraped the crap out of my tongue all night. This morning I called my dentist. He agreed to squeeze me in at 1:15. By 1:16 I was in his chair. By 1:17 he’d gently ground down the jagged bit. By 1:18 my tooth felt fine and he’d sent me on my way, free of charge.

I know this doesn’t seem like much, but it’s certainly a lot less painful (literally) than a typical trip to the dentist, and cost less than I expected, even for two minutes of work. If any dentist can be classified as awesome (relatively speaking) this guy can.

If you live in Toronto and consider your dentist less-than-awesome, try Dr. Lee at Royal Bank Plaza Dental.

[tags]royal bank plaza dental[/tags]

They're No Here

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Drat and foo. Mogwai has been forced to cancel their remaining US and Canadian tour dates, including this Wednesday’s show in Toronto, for which I had tickets. Apparently drummer Martin Bulloch was having trouble with his pacemaker:

I was taken into hospital last night almost immediately after the show at ATP. I’ve been having some problems with my pacemaker for the duration of the tour and it unfortunately culminated in me being sent to the emergency room. The doctors there initially thought i would have to have corrective surgery at a larger hospital nearer NYC but i have been given the all clear to travel home on the understanding that i go straight to my cardiologist on arrival back in Scotland.

Tbh, i’m really bummed about having to go home and feel for the folk who had bought tickets for our upcoming shows but i can honestly say it would be almost impossible for me to carry on at this point as my pacemaker has broken skin and the surrounding area has become infected.

Blurg! But it’s good news that Marty seems to be ok. Get well, and come back, soon.

Note for ticketholders: TicketMaster says the original tickets will be honored at a rescheduled date, TBD.

[tags]mogwai, phoenix concert theatre, ticketmaster[/tags]

Thick but spritzy-clean palate

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Apparently the summer decided to grant us one last beautiful weekend before fall arrives to spoil the party. Yesterday we took advantage of likely the last lazy, hazy summer Saturday of the year: we slept in, picked up fresh vegetables and some dessert at the market, walked over to the Bay and bought some new bed stuff and cleaned up the balcony. We spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening sitting outside, reading, listening to music, snapping the picture you see up there (note HMCS Charlottetown in the middle-right of the frame…not sure what she’s doing there) and enjoying a Great Lakes Pumpkin Ale until CBGB showed up. Nellie barbecued some rainbow trout, which we ate with maple-glazed carrots, peas, potatoes, two bottles of wine, some Mill Street Belgian Wit beer and the afore-mentioned dessert, an apple strudel. There wasn’t much time left in the evening when they left…just enough for me to pull the trigger on the new computer I’ve been thinking about ordering, and crawl between the comfy new duvet & pillows.

Good day, that.

[tags]last day of summer, great lakes pumpkin ale, mill street belgian wit[/tags]