Somewhere, Buzz is Smiling...

I'm going to give my thoughts on last night's episode of Suvivor, but first, I'm actually going to talk a little Leaf hockey, believe it or not.

Last night, the NHL kicked off the season North American-style, and the game playing on every second channel, naturally, was the Leafs game, as they opened up their season, on the road against the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Detroit Red Wings.

For weeks, I've been listening to TGOR in the mornings and thoroughly enjoying the way Steve Warne has been making fun of the poor Leafs and their fans. He predicted that they might - MIGHT - be as succesful as the '92-'93 Sens, who won only 10 games that year in their inaugural season. He's forecasted that they will have the worst record ever (first year franchise teams not included). He's literally delighted in talking about how horrible the Leafs will be, and how they will be the laughing stock of the NHL.

I've laughed right along with him, and I was fully expecting the lowly Leafs to be slaughtered by the reigning champs last night.

Things didn't quite go as expected, though. Instead, the Leafs actually looked pretty good in the snippets I saw, and despite Detroit pushing for the comeback win late in the game, the final score was 3-2 in favour of the Leafs.

Yikers.

But you know what? I actually had a little smile on my face when I saw that final score. Probably the first time ever that I smiled at seeing the Leafs win. Because while I've tittered away each morning listening to the guys on the morning show tearing the Blue Team to shreds, part of me has wondered what Buzz would be saying if he were still there.

I miss Buzz each morning on the radio, and while they've finally returned to laughter and light-heartedness on the show, I still feel sad everytime I think of him not being there, especially to defend his beloved Leafs.

But if there's a Heaven - and I belive there is - I'd like to think Buzz was up there last night, getting the last laugh on his old buddies and completely relishing the Leafs' victory. He would've loved gloating this morning on the radio so much.

That being said, Buzz was no fool. He'd be reminding them all about how they'd compared he's Blue Team to that dreadful Senators club from '92-'93, and I can guarantee he'd offer up a rueful smile when they'd remind him in return that those Sens also opened up their season with a win over the Montreal Canadiens, the same team to go on and win the Stanley Cup that spring.

Opening night means nothing. I'm thinking it's still gonna be a long year for the Leafs...

Now, enough about the Blue Team...on to Survivor!

They shuffled things up already, after getting each tribe to rank its players in order of importance. Pretty cool to see Marcus rated #1 by his tribe, and I was equally please that Matty was ranked #1 on his tribe. Both very deserving of that position, I believe! Hopefully it doesn't put a target on their backs, though.

The unfortunate part is that the two of them had to pick new tribes, which sucked because I would have loved to see them put together. In any case, I think Marcus ended up pretty fortunate, as he was able to keep his close allies Charlie, Corrine, and Bob with him. The Fang members to join Kota were Dan, Randy, and Susie. Matty, on the other hand, seemed to draw the short end of the stick when he was stuck once again with Crystal, GC, and Kenny, who I have no admiration for whatsoever. He also collected the whiny Kelly from Kota, along with Ace and Jacquie.

Before I go any further, I have to rant on Crystal for a minute. Are they serious when they tell me she's an Olympic gold medallist? Every episode, she boasts for the camera about how she won a gold medal in the 2004 Olyjmpics in the 4 x 400 metre relay. She sure doesn't act like an Olympian in Gabon, though! She complains about challenges, and she certainly didn't give 100% last night in the little water polo/lacrosse Immunity Challenge. As far as I can tell, she's aligned herself in the game with losers by picking GC and Kenny to go all the way with. She's made bonehead move after bonehead move. How she won an Olympic gold medal, I'll never know...

I truly pity Matty for getting stuck with this bunch. I wish he would have tried harder to save Jacquie. It was so obvious that they needed to show Kelly the door last night - her attitude sucks, and I'm still baffled that they kept her over the hard-working, determined, pleasant Jacquie.
Marcus rocked the challenge, doing basically all the work for his tribe by paddling his little boat thingy to the ball each time, fighting to gain possession of it and getting it over to Randy, who just had to toss it in the net with relative ease for their dominant 3-0 win. Marcus gets hotter and hotter every week, but it still kind of gives me the heebie-jeebies that he's so close to Charlie. Especially when Charlie's telling the camera how much he loves - loves - Marcus. Not sure if Marcus realizes how deep that guy's man-crush is!

Even after the shake-up, Fang proved to be one of the stupidest tribes ever, despite Matty's best efforts to keep them on the straight-&-narrow. Looks like things aren't going to get any better next week, as it appears an elephant is going to storm their camp, and GC goes missing...

Blessing in disguise, perhaps?...;)

Two Helpings of Hotness on "The Tudors"

A few months back, I devoted one edition of the Blog to Jonathan Rhys Meyers, star of "The Tudors" TV series, which is based on the life of a young King Henry VIII.

I'm doing it again...Except this time, JRM is being joined by a friend.

I've really been enjoying "The Tudors" thus far, only 2 episodes into Season 2. I watched all of last season in the spring, thanks to Kristen loaning me her DVD set. Furthermore, I saw The Other Boleyn Girl in theatres, and I'm just about done the book. Coincidentally, "The Tudors" has centred on the Boleyn era in England, a controversial and dangerous time period when the king was turning his back on his faithful and obediant wife, Katherine of Aragon, in favour of the beautiful yet devious Anne Boleyn.

Clearly, I've been going through a Henry VIII phase, so "The Tudors" is right up my alley.

And yes, Jonathan Rhys Meyers is a big drawing card. He has the most gorgeous, piercing eyes, and when his lips turn to a smirk, it makes me think of Elvis and I get all giddy. (Come to think of it - pretty cool that the guy has played two kings in recent years, as he also played the King in the TV miniseries Elvis.)

However, I've discovered yet another reason to watch "The Tudors". And his name is Henry Cavill.

He plays Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, and King Henry VIII's longtime friend who marries his sister, Princess Mary, against Henry's wishes, thus causing a rift between the two men. However, Henry couldn't stay mad long, and quickly forgave his dearest friend for going against his word and marrying his sister Mary.

The character of Charles Brandon has been a delight to discover. It's often hard to imagine what life must have been like back then, in the 1500's, but I think from the portrayal on the show and what I've read about him, Charles Brandon would have been considered one of the cool guys - smart, sexy, mischievious, a little promiscuous, the guy all the girls swoon after.

Having trouble picturing it with the frilly collar and such? Check out this picture of Henry, in modern street clothes.

Yummy, right? It gets better. Check out this one.

Excuse me while I wipe up my drool...

I really am quite intrigued by this period in history, and I find the reign of King Henry VIII quite fascinating. But it doesn't hurt that these two guys are...umm...providing "visual aids" to the story!!

A Great Weekend for a Sens-slash-Rangers Fan!

Here comes a bit of a mish-mash Blog with recaps of hockey games, Survivor, and the Amazing Race!

So the NHL's regular season opened up this weekend with four teams taking to the ice in Europe - the New York Rangers playing against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Prague, as well as the Ottawa Senators taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins in Stockholm.

I got my answer to my "Who do I cheer for?" question on Saturday afternoon. I watched most of the Rangers game, but my interest was centred mainly on Wade Redden, and while I was happy the Rangers posted a 2-1 win that day, I was mostly just disappointed that Wade didn't get on the scoresheet.

Then, while watching the Sens game, I discovered my allegiance still lies strongly with them when Shean Donovan scored to tie the game at 1 in the first period, and I did my automatic fist pump. I still have that reaction when the Sens score, so I guess they're still my team! Unfortunately, due to some shaky goaltending, we lost that one in OT, 4-3.

Yesterday, all four teams were back at it again. I didn't get to see the Rangers game, although I was quite thrilled to hear they won 2-1 again, and that Wade contributed big time by scoring to tie it up, and then assisting on Scott Gomez's game winner. I still have a hard time seeing him in Ranger blue, but I'm happy he seems to have gotten off to a great start this season with New York.


The Sens re-match vs. the Penguins was much more to my liking, as we almost had a 3-0 shutout, until the Pens FINALLY scored a power play goal in the dying seconds of the game. Alex Auld looked strong for the part of the game I saw, and Alfie was flying in his homeland of Sweden, collecting assists on both of Dany Heatley's goals. Antoine Vermette also scored on a break-away for the Sens. I'm still a long piece off from knowing who's who out there - still too many new faces and numbers - but it was great to watch NHL hockey again, and I was a happy fan!


Now, I promised a Survivor re-cap, but it's been so long, I barely remembered what happened. I know for sure that Marcus is still hot, despite the uproar over his thingy last week. Unfortunately, his tribe failed for the first time since the game began, and they failed miserably, losing both the Reward and Immunity Challenges. Someone's gotta knock Ace down a peg or two - he jeopardized his entire team in order to protect his alliance with Sugar. Is it just me, or the people on that tribe thinking WAY too far ahead?? I mean, Ace is already talking final 2 with Sugar...Anything can happen, but that's a long way off to be planning for...

I thought the dopes had wisened up and were going to take him out when they could, but they wussed out and went with Paloma instead. Not a great loss, she was a ditz and quite annoying in her own right. But if they have any sense at all, they'll target Ace this week. The dude is far too controlling and he's risking too much to keep Sugar around. And now that she has the hidden immunity idol, her stock has risen in Ace's eyes. Time to flush that idol out, or at least weaken her by removing her closest ally.

As for the Amazing Race, it was another interesting leg, with Tina (the aging Barbie) somehow getting an airline to change the size of a plane so that they could get on it. Unfortunately for Tina & Ken, it backfired somewhat, as the changing of planes allowed everyone else to catch up and make the same flight. I suppose it would have happened regardless if they'd had to wait for a later flight, but all it really did was get them to their next destination a few hours earlier. Tina pranced around reminding everyone how they owed her for getting them the bigger plane, but really, it didn't have that much of an impact on the race at all. I'm still a little shocked that a potential passenger pleading for seats on a flight actually got an airline to get a larger plane!

My boy Dallas and his mom, Toni, continued to impress me. He seems so patient with his mother, even though she has trouble keeping up with him. He just encourages her and so far, they remain my favourite team. They even stopped to help Terrence and Sarah when they went the wrong way looking for taxis - the only team to do so. I'm not even sure I would have if it had been me, but I was so proud of Dallas for his truly class act, and hopefully it will benefit them down the road - Terrence and Sarah should definitely remember that.

I don't remember the last time I watched this show that so many mistakes were made for not reading clues more carefully. Terrence and Sarah were one example. Then there were the divorcees who spent valuable time digging on a beach looking for some container that wasn't there because it was for the other challenge. They also forgot to ask their cab to wait at the Road Block, causing them more anxiety over a mis-read direction. And then we have the Bimbos who wanted to do one challenge, but ended up doing another because they didn't read their directions properly.

At the end of the day, my thoughts are still pretty much the same. I love Dallas and his mom, I dislike Terrence and Sarah, Ken and Tina, and I still can't warm up to Nick & Starr. Anthony and Stephanie were never able to get out of the basement, and they landed on the mat last, eliminating them from the race. I'm still a little shocked at Anthony's farewell speech...He's still happy because he's got "my health, my parents, my looks...and Stephanie". Wow. Those are some straight priorities, there!!

Happy Birthday, Sharon!!

Happy 25th Birthday from Jill's World, Sharon!! I hope you're having a GREAT DAY! :)

Bring a Kleenex to "Nights in Rodanthe"

Last night, I headed out to Kanata to see Nights in Rodanthe with Lindsay (there's your shout-out, dude! haha!)

It's a chick flick. I can't imagine a boy in the world enjoying it.

Oh wait. I almost forgot about the two strange guys - who smelled like weed - that kind of followed us in to the theatre, chatted us up in the popcorn line, and then ended up in the same movie. Which I thought was strange. I'm pretty sure they were the only males watching the movie, and it struck me as kind of creepy...Anyways...No idea if they actually enjoyed the movie, though. I doubt it.

But ladies, you're guaranteed to love it. If you like tearjerkers; if you like Nicholas Sparks books, if you like movies like "A Walk to Remember" and "The Notebook".

Basically the plot revolves around a woman, Adrienne, who isn't sure if she's married or not, and she is taking care of her friend's beach-side inn. There's only one guest for the weekend - Paul, a doctor searching for peace after a disastrous surgery knocked him off-track. In the midst of a hurricane, they end up in each other's arms, and find a love that both of them desperately need at this point in their lives.

I didn't expect the twist that comes. I'd even read the book, but I didn't remember the tragic turn of events that jumps this movie up to a 5-hanky rating. Of course, I can't tell you what happens to Adrienne and Paul - you'll just have to see it for yourselves to find out. But I can tell you this - Diane Lane is exceptional in the role of Adrienne, and even though I've never found Richard Gere attractive (not even in Pretty Woman), the role of Paul suits him to a T.

If nothing else, you'll be longing to find a beach in Rodanthe to spend a vacation. Even with the hurricane blowing through, that's got to be one of the most beautiful locations I've ever seen in my life.

Also, I enjoyed watching the brief scenes with James Franco in the role of Paul's son, Mark. I've become a bit of a James Franco fan lately, and loved him in Pineapple Express this summer. His part in this movie is vastly different from the fun-loving stoner he played alongside Seth Rogan in Pineapple Express, but I loved him in this more serious role, too.

(Holy Hell, he's hot.)

So yes - I do recommend going to see Nights in Rodanthe. But whatever you do, don't forget the Kleenex. You're going to need it!

Before signing off, I'd like to wish an early happy birthday to my new favourite Senator, Jesse Winchester, who will be turning 25 tomorrow!! See, I'm learning more about him every day!

Have a great weekend, everyone! :)

Picking a New Favourite

In my quest to figure out how to deal with my "Losing Redden to the Rangers" issue, there has been one recommendation from family & friends that seems to keep coming up:

Find a new player to adore.

I didn't think it was possible. Nor did I particularly want to put that time & energy again into following one specific player, learning as much about him as I possibly could, both on & off the ice. It could be a draining activity, loving Wade the way I did. My real hard-core research into the man and the player basically took place when I was a young and foolish teen, when I had nothing better to do than read about him obsessively. At least, it was a diversion from homework and the stress & anxiety of being a teenager, right?

But now, in my mid-twenties, it would seem a little silly to get that wrapped up in a hockey star. So, despite my friends willing me join them in the Mike Fisher Fan Club, I decided to lay off that and just cheer for the team in general. (Although, Mike's beautiful blue eyes and killer grin do make it hard to resist...)

I love the Ottawa Senators. I really do. I love Fisher, I worship Alfie, and from time to time, I can even get on the Jason Spezza bandwagon. However, in the early stages of this hockey season, I've yet to feel truly excited about this team. It occured to me that perhaps I really should start looking for one guy to throw my support behind in order to anticipate watching Sens hockey again.

I decided it should be a new guy, so that we both start out fresh together. Besides, any of the hot players who are already on the team (yes, I'm talking about Fish) I hold a slight grudge against, because I felt they stole Wade's thunder in the hotness department.

So yes, it had to be a new player. But rookies? They're so young. I'd feel a little creepy "falling in love" with a 19-year-old. And other than them, who am I suppose to pick? Jarkko Ruutu? Filip Kuba? I don't even know how to spell their names, and I have no clue what they look like.

Then, last night, it hit me. I opened the Ottawa Citizen, and on the front page of the NHL preview supplement, there was a picture of one of the newest Senators, looking smokin' hot in his Sens sweater and jeans, staring at the camera with a very intense gaze.

My new favourite player...(drum roll please....) is.......

Jesse Winchester!!!

He's a rookie, but he's 24-years-old - right in my wheelhouse! Prior to joining the Senators last spring, he spent 4 years playing for the Colgate University Red Raiders of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Association (ECAC), for whom he acted as captain last season. He's from the Long Sault. He plays centre, shoots right, is 6’1”, and weighs in at 215 lbs. In camp, he found himself on the top line with Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley, although Alfie's already bumped him from that line (at least for a little while).

That's about all the Jesse Winchester knowledge I've garnered so far in my very limited research this morning, but I'm sure I'll keep collecting and sharing with you in the weeks to come. You've been warned...There's a new kid on my block, and I really really like him, so you're going to hear much more about him!!

Will he ever replace Wade Redden? Not likely. I don't expect anyone will ever replace Wade Redden in my world.

But who knows. If Jesse sticks around for as long as Wade did, you never know what might happen.

GO SENS GO!!

On Brown Belts and Beyond...

Last night, after a fairly strenuous grading, I finally received my Brown Belt in Shotokan Karate.

If anyone had told me a year ago, when I first joined the Quyon Martial Arts club, led by Sensei Denis Renaud, that I would be one step away from my Black Belt in a year's time, I'd have laughed. Seriously laughed.

At that time, doing a push-up - just one mealsy push-up - was a severe challenge for me. I thought hitting twenty jumping jacks was a huge accomplishment. Twenty sit-ups was a miracle.

And that's just regular fitness stuff. I wasn't sure I'd ever catch on to the principles of Karate - the blocks, strikes, kicks, katas, self-defence. It all looked so difficult and I didn't think I'd ever grasp the physical and mental aspects in order to be able to make it look smooth & effortless like the senior members of the club made it look.

Then there was sparring. I remember a year ago, sitting back in awe, watching the Blue, Brown & Black belts fight at one of the first classes I went to, thinking, "Man, that would be fun...But I'll probably never be able to do it."

A year later, and there I was on the night of my Brown Belt grading, having already made it through white, yellow, orange, green, and blue. Last night, I could comfortably complete nine katas, five sets of self-defence, and I survived however many rounds of sparring I had to do (I didn't keep count - I'd say probably 5 rounds?) I did two sets of 100 jumping jacks, two sets of push-ups (50 the first set, maybe 25 the second), and two sets of ab exercises.

Guys, I'm not trying to toot my own horn here...There is a point to all this. And the point is that anyone can do anything if they put their minds to it!!

I'm a live and breathing example of that.

You have no idea how many times over the past 12 months that I have looked Sensei Denis or Sensei Brenda in the eyes and said, "I can't do that." I've struggled with my own physical limitations and that part of my brain that's always screaming, Just quit!! You can't do it!!

And yet, somehow, here I am, a Brown Belt in Shotokan and a year away from possibly attempting my Black Belt.

It's a little surreal when I step back and really think about it. And it frightens me to think of how far I still have to go. What I'm doing now is barely grazing the surface of what the Brown and Black belts are doing now on their way to the Black and Second Degree Black Belts. Their gradings are much longer, much more intense, and when they talk about doing thousands of jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, and running, it almost makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it.

Will I ever make it that far? Who knows. But if there's one thing I've learned over the past year is that I might as well try. Otherwise, I'll never know if I can do it or not.

The Amazing Race Kicks Off Season 13!

A day late, but here's some of my thoughts on Sunday's premiere episode of The Amazing Race 13:

- After completely missing the last Race, I was excited to be watching it again Sunday night, even though I was so tired my eyes were pretty much half-closed throughout the whole show. For that reason, some of my observations might be a little hazy...Forgive me.

- I always root for the hot boy team. 'Cause there's almost always a hot boy team. When I heard there were Frat Boys in the Race this year, I assumed that would be "my team". However, the Frat Boys are not what you'd typically think of when you hear the term "Frat Boys". They're kinda chubby, and a little goofy-looking. Sort of reminiscent of the guys in Superbad. That being said, I didn't actually mind them, they were kind of funny. They may end up being "my team" after all.


- With my Frat Boys decidedly not hot, I went on search of the hottest guy in the Race to root for, praying he wasn't already paired up with a girlfriend or wife. I discovered Dallas, who is racing with his mom, Toni. Kinda cool, I think, especially since she was a single mother and raised him by herself, so you know they have a tight bond and that should help them in the race. Not too many young men would choose to do the Race with their mothers, so I think it's sweet and they're my favourite team...for now.


- Is it just me, or do Terrence and Sarah seem like a severely mis-matched couple? She's insulted 'cause the other teams aren't all that buddy-buddy with her. She's more interested in making friends and chatting with the other teams. Terrence is in super-competitive mode, and now he's pissed that she's trying to connect with other teams instead of him. While they did very well in the first leg, finishing third, I'm not sure their new relationship can withstand the stress of the Race.

- The brother/sister duo of Nick and Starr annoyed me. I didn't like their matching cammo outfits, and I didn't like that they started calling Ken & Tina their "Mom & Dad". (I was surprised it didn't piss Ken & Tina off, too). The day I get my brother to do a dance routine with me the way they did in their intro will be the day hell freezes over...


- Does it really matter if you get on the 9:00 flight or the 9:45? Seems like the different start times which are supposed to be "penalties" don't really have that great an impact on the final results. If a team is fast, smart, and composed, they should be able to do well no matter what, especially with so many others getting flustered, imploding all around them.

- The challenges on the first leg seemed pretty simple. Wheeling a little truck loaded with boxes of stuff through the streets of Brazil? As long as you kept your load from toppling off, it was pretty quick and simple. And then the majority of the teams chose to go down the outdoor elevator - basically a big net thing that they had to climb down. Admittedly, it did sound like an easier task. But the Frat Boys decided to do the climbing stairs on their knees, and it proved to be a pretty fast challenge. The only hitch was not knowing what the question would be at the top. They did have to do it again to count the number of stairs they went up, but even having done it twice, they still had no trouble avoiding elimination, landing at the pit stop in 7th, right behind my hot boy Dallas and his mom.

- I don't think there's a more stereotypical "American Couple" than Ken & Tina. He's an ex pro football player, and she's his aging Barbie Doll wife. They've been seperated for months after she caught him cheating on her, but they still love each other and are hoping the Race will bring them back together again. Excuse me while I go puke...


- Speaking of stereotypes... It wasn't too difficult to toss Arthur & Anita under the "Hippie" label. Both with long flowing grey hair and tie-dyed t-shirts, the beekeepers seemed to love being old hippies. Unfortunately for them, they were always a step behind the vastly younger teams, and at the end of the day, they didn't even have a chance. They were first to be nixed from the competition.


That's all I can think of right now. Looking forward to the next leg!

Early Observations from Survivor: Gabon

Hey guys!

As you arrive to read the Blog today, you'll notice a few little changes. I jazzed things up a little yesterday by adding a poll - look for a new one every couple of days. And I finally figured out how to add a list of links! More changes could be coming soon, so try to contain your excitement... ;)

Now, on to Survivor. Last night kicked off the season of Gabon. No idea where that is, but sure, let's give 'er! Here's my early impressions:

- I missed the first half hour because of Karate, and tuned in just in time to see the first girl get eliminated. I didn't get to see much of her, but as far as I could tell, it was a good riddance situation. What a skinny raging bitch! She was pissed 'cause she wasn't on the "good-looking tribe" (if I were her tribemates Dan & Matty - pretty good-looking dudes - I'd be insulted), and called her tribemates losers. Atta be the cancer of the group right off the bat, chickie!


- The two tribes are called Kota and Fang. But Fang is pronounced "Fong". Hmm. Kota's really awesome and have won everything so far. Fang sucks. Big time.



- I was excited when I heard one of the competitors was named "Jillian". Turns out, it's with a "G", and she's a 60-year-old nurse who wouldn't even help one of her tribe members when he cut his head, claiming it was too dark to see the wound. Her tribed quickly deduced she was dead weight, and she would have been voted off first, except for crankypants skin-n-bones. Gillian made it through the first Tribal Council, but she wasn't so lucky the second go-round.


- I kept seeing this hot guy in the promo commercials, but it took me awhile to pick him out last night. When I finally did, my first impressions were correct. Marcus is hot. Colby-esque in his hotness. And smart. He's a doctor. Mmmmmm...!! The weird part? He instantly made friends with Charlie the gay lawyer, who has a secret crush on him. It kinda threw me off, and I was afraid my "HOT SURVIVOR GUY" was actually gay. Lindsay confirmed for me this morning that I didn't miss anything in the early part of the show - Marcus is definitely not gay. Phew!!



- Anyone else sick of the great leader debate that seems to take place with at least one of the tribes every year? GC automatically lost points in my book for first offering to be the leader of his disfunctional tribe, then stepping down from his post a day later. What a coward.

- I hate Randy, the guy who cut his head and had to get the medical team in on, like, the first day. He's an ass. And he made comments about Gillian-with-a-"G" being so old ... Um, check a mirror, buddy, you're not exactly a spring chicken yourself!!

- The only good part about the Fang tribe, as far as I can tell, is Matty. He's the closest thing to hot after Marcus. He keeps his mouth shut, gives it his all in the challenges, and never gets involved in the constant squabbling. I hope he can last through these early days of turmoil on his tribe, because if he could get over there in the Marcus-Charlie alliance, they could become a powerhouse.

- I initially thought Dan was hot too, and he is, except he's also a bit "duh", which takes away from his attractiveness. His lawyer-speak is annoying, and he couldn't even find the hidden immunity idol when he was sent to Exile, wasting his time by over-analyzing the clue. Bone head.

- One of the girls on Kota mentioned how they seemed to have all the smart guys. She would appear to be correct. Bob the physics teacher looks like a geek but is so strong in the mental challenges, like puzzles and untying knots - major asset. Charlie's a lawyer and Marcus is a doctor. Lots of school years between the two of them, I'm thinking. And even Ace, who would appear to be the flaky male who leads his team in yoga exercises in their underwear, seems to be extremely intelligent and fits in well with his group. This tribe is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

- As usual, I have a hard time catching on to names after the first night, and even I find it funny that I can name all the guys, but not one girl, except Gillian-with-a-"G". Gosh, I love boys.

- Did I mention how hot Marcus is?

OK, I think that's enough for Episode 1...

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Wade Redden...In New Colours

I've spent the entire summer trying to sort out my Wade Redden dilemma. I've talked about it with friends, I've blogged about it, I've spent many a sleepless night agonizing over it.

(OK...that last part is not really true, but I said it anyways to add some literary flair. Snazzy, huh?)

What to do, what to do? What to do about my boy Wade?

Cheer for him and the New York Rangers? Cheer for the Sens but keep my eye on the Rangers? Turn my back on him entirely and remain faithful to the Red-Black-&-Gold, no matter what?

As of this past weekend, I still wasn't entirely sure how I was going to treat this unpleasant situation I've found myself in. All I knew for sure was that I had never felt so unenthusiastic about Senators hockey as I did this year, entering training camp. A new coach, a whack of new faces, many of the old beloved ones gone. And no Wade.

Absolutely no Wade.

My excitement for NHL hockey, either Senators or Rangers, has been luke-warm at best.

Of course, I've had to face my dilemma head-on this preseason, with the Sens' first two games being a home-and-home with the Rangers. What a sneaky bit of scheduling that was.

I was almost relieved, though, to hear that Wade was not dressing for the first game in Ottawa. I wasn't quite ready to see him in Ranger colours, especially not on home ice. Because no matter who's signing his pay cheques now, you have to think he still considers Scotiabank Place, where he spent 11 seasons, his home rink.

He did, however, make his debut at Madison Square Garden on Monday night vs. the Sens. I was at Stacy & Ricky's playing BINGO, and Ricky switched over to the game on NHL Centre Ice. Within moments, the cameras flashed on Redden as he was skating off the ice with some of his teammates. They zoomed right in on him, and I had the same reaction I always used to have when he had a close-up on TV:

"Oh! It's Wade! Hi, Wade!"

Then I had a moment of bewilderment when I realized I hadn't recognized him at first. It had taken a couple of seconds for me to clue in who it was.

And then I understood why.

I didn't recognize him because of his new colours!!


So used to him in a Sens jersey, I hadn't even stopped to think of what he'd look like in Ranger blue. And then, there he was. Looking like a Ranger...Acting like a Ranger. Yet my heart was screaming, He's a Senator!!!

It was a difficult moment for me. Probably the hardest thing I've had to do since watching him play out his final minutes as a Senator last spring. If I hadn't been sitting at Stacy & Ricky's, I probably would have cried.

It does help to know that he's struggling with this as well. He says all the right things, about how excited he is to be in the Big Apple, and how much he likes the team and his colleagues. But after that pre-season game when he had to suit up against his old friends, he said this:

''I don't know if it was more weird being here for the first time wearing this (uniform) or playing against that one,'' Redden said. ''I got them both out of the way.''

Well, Wade, I sort of felt the same way.

I'm glad it's out of the way for now, so that hopefully when I'm at the game on Nov. 22 for his first official return to Ottawa in the regular season, I won't get all silly and emotional. I still haven't really decided who I'll be cheering for that night, either.

But I still have another few months to figure that one out.

Fun with iTunes!

I've really enjoyed watching my iTunes grow over the past month-and-a-half...At this current moment, I have over a thousand songs downloaded and on my iPod. According to my iTunes, that's 2.7 days worth of music. Everything from rock, country, alternative, blues, rockabilly, hip-hop, rap, folk, live versions, acoustic versions, covers...You name it, chances are I might have it.

So, thanks to an idea I got from another blog (http://randomlyyoursbouffe.blogspot.com/), I'm going to play a little game. For those of you who also have iTunes, feel free to play along and post your own answers in the comments section of the blog!

Instructions:
Open your iTunes
Sort by song title
Share the first song you have for each letter

A - Absolutely Anytime - The Watchmen
B - Baba O'Reilly - The Who
C - California Love - Tupac ft. Dr. Dre
D - Dance Naked - John Mellancamp
E - Emotional Girl - Terri Clark
F - Factory Girl - The Higgins
G - Geek in the Pink - Jason Mraz
H - Half Your Age - Kid Rock
I - I'll Be - Edwin McCain
J - Jack & Diane - John Mellancamp
K - Karma Police - Radiohead
L - Ladies & Gentlemen - Saliva
M - Made of Steel - Our Lady Peace
N - Name - Goo Goo Dolls
O - Oh Boy - Buddy Holly
P - Paralyzer - Finger 11
Q - Quit Playing Games - The Backstreet Boys
R - R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. - John Mellancamp
S - Santa Monica - Everclear
T - Take a Bow - Rihanna
U - Umbrella - Boyce Avenue (cover)
V - Viva la Vida - Coldplay
W - Waitin' on a Woman - Brad Paisley
X -
Y - Yellow Brick Road - Raine Maida
Z - Zombie - The Cranberries

1 - 1 2 3 4 - Feist
2 -
3 - 38 Years Old - The Tragically Hip
4 - 4AM - Our Lady Peace
5 -
6 - 6th Avenue Heartache - The Wallflowers
7 -
8 - 8 Days a Week - The Beatles
9 -

As an addition to the game, here are some observations I made while compiling my list...

Song I Was Most Embarassed to Write Down: The Backstreet Boys' "Quit Playing Games"
My Favourite Song on the List: "38 Years Old" by the Hip
Song My Parents Would be Most Likely to Listen To: "Oh Boy" by Buddy Holly

Also...It would appear that John Mellancamp is a heavy favourite, making it on the list three times...??? Not quite sure how that happened, but I do love all three of those songs!

Well that was fun...Thanks for letting me play! :)

A Bad Night For Ball...

Forgive me if I'm a little cranky today.

Not only did my team lose in our do-or-die game to advance to the Quyon League 3-pitch finals, the Quyon Flyers also lost their do-or-die game to advance to the GOFL finals.

I was terrible last night in our game. As per usual, I suppose, but I'm still kicking myself for not making a catch (would've been my first catch of the season). I hate losing. I'm a very sore loser. I also hate being the worst ball player in the world. I hate knowing I suck that bad. Gah.

But I think hearing about the Flyers loss hurt more. Especially knowing that they were winning through most of the game, and it came down to extra innings again, but this time they weren't able to pull it off. The 56'ers won it in the bottom of the 9th. (For full details, see http://fitzroyfastball.blogspot.com/ )

At the end of the day, though, I think the Flyers should be holding their heads up high. They've competed at a high level all summer long, and despite being one of the youngest teams in their league, they've held their own against the experienced veterans filling out most other line-ups in the GOFL.

The good news? They're still a young team, with a long and promising future ahead of them. This year, they almost made it to the finals. One has to believe they'll have many opportunities to get there in the years to come.

The Flyers will have one last hurrah this weekend, as they'll be playing in another tournament before the ball season winds down. Good luck, guys, and congrats on getting as far as you did in the playoffs!!

Memphis the Mysterious

Somehow, this summer, I've managed to save you guys from reading my ramblings on Big Brother. I figured you were getting enough with just Canadian Idol. And if I'm being entirely honest, I really was more interested in Idol than Big Brother this summer, anyways, and I had much more to say about the hot boys of Idol than I did about the hot boys of BB10.

That being said, I did follow Big Brother through til the end, and I was extremely happy that the one dude I was rooting for throughout most of the competition ended up in the Final 2.

Ladies & gentlemen...Meet Memphis:




Memphis was a pretty quiet guy inside the Big Brother house this summer. He didn't do much to rock the boat, he was laid-back, and seemed to avoid getting in the middle of any big dust-ups (which are extremely hard to stay away from in there).

The only time I ever remember Memphis getting hot under the collar was when he found out Jerry, the senior citizen in the house, had been calling him a "womanizer". Memphis took it personally, and roared at Jerry to never call his character into question like that again when he didn't even know him as a person.

It struck me at that moment that, despite watching him for weeks, none of us really knew Memphis as a person. And on a show like Big Brother, with cameras on the contestants at all times, capturing all their conversations, it's unusual for the audience to know as little about one of the competitors as we knew about Memphis. All we seemed to know was that he was a "mixologist" - which he insists is different than a bartender, but what the heck is it really? He had that mysterious, cool vibe going for him, and I think that drew me in even more.



A week or so ago, after his good friend Dan had put him up on the block to throw their remaining house mates off the scent of their alliance, we finally got a sneak peek into "the real Memphis". Big Brother cameras sought out his long-term girlfriend Ashley in LA and she opened up a bit about the man she's been dating for over three years. She spoke of how Memphis had a bad relationship with his father, and that he tried very hard to be the exact opposite of his dad, so that was why he was so upset when Jerry called him a womanizer. She claimed him to be a faithful and loving boyfriend, despite his party animal instincts. And then Memphis himself told Dan that he loved his girlfriend very much, and that being in the Big Brother house made him realize how he'd been taken her for granted and how he wanted to make things better with her when he got out. He said he was ready to take the next step with her and make more of a commitment.

OK. I swooned. Not just "hot & mysterious". Now add "sweet & loving" to Memphis' character profile, and I got me the perfect man!

I was thrilled that Dan & Memphis were able to keep their "Renegade" alliance a secret, and through careful planning and a bit of luck, it was the Renegades going up against a jury of their former peers last night, each trying to prove they deserved to win the half-million dollar prize money.

Unfortunately, Memphis never won an HoH in the game, and Dan won three times, and that seemed to play big in the jurors' decisions. At the end of the night, Dan was handed the cheque for $500,000 - and I wasn't surprised after listening to what the jury had to say. They had made up their minds that Dan deserved it more because he won more.

I still think that Memphis played more intelligently, and the fact that he was able to keep the blood off his hands by getting Dan and others to do his dirty work was a better strategy. The fact that he actually admitted to throwing competitions just shows how far one can get in the game without actually being in power. He was wise, stealth, and cunning, and he won the Power of Veto on several clutch occasions.

Alas, the jury decided to reward the schmoozy, schmaltzy Dan instead. They didn't even throw Memphis one measly vote. I was a little disappointed. While I didn't dislike Dan, I'm certain that if I knew both of these guys in real life, Memphis would be the one I'd rather have as a friend. Dan was over-the-top, could get theatrical, and his speeches annoyed me. Memphis didn't have the gift of the silver tongue, but in my mind, he was more genuine and straight-up.

Oh. And, did I mention...HOT?? ;)

So yet another of my favourite summer shows is now over. What a relief to know that training camp started today. At least there will be some hockey talk coming up.

And last but not least - good luck to the Quyon Flyers tonight in their Game #5 vs. the Stittsville 56'ers. If they win, they'll be headed to the GOFL finals against Team Easton. Go get 'em!!!

My Canadian Idol Withdrawals

Last night was Monday night. For the past three months or so, Monday nights have been Canadian Idol nights, and last night, there was no Idol for me to watch.

I was a little sad. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to get through this particular Monday night without my Idol fix.

Fortunately, I had taped many of the episodes over the course of the summer, especially back in the Oliver & Sebastian Pigott days. So to the chagrin of my brother, who would much rather have been playing Guitar Hero or watching football, I subjected him to watching old snippets of Idol - not all of it, but anything that had Oliver or Sebastian in it, and then some of my other favourite performances (like Amberly's "Redemption Song", Theo's "Weak in the Knees", Mitch's "I'm Yours", Earl's "Two").

I know. I'm pathetic. But honestly, what else am I supposed to do until hockey starts? It seems to me that I go through this gap every year, when I miss watching Idol, but there's no Sens action to divert my attention.


I think I've figured out what my problem is. I have this incessant need to cheer for someone. Whether it's a team like the Sens, or a performer on Idol like Oliver & Sebastian, I'm always - always - rooting someone on. Like I'm tied to them by some cosmic force, and I just can't let go. And truth be told, I think I'm living vicariously through them. I'm not an athlete; I'm not a particularly good musician or singer. Despite wishing and trying, I basically suck. So by clinging on to someone who actually can do it, whether it be sports or music, I get to feel the ups & the downs, the joys & the pain, of being in that position.

My little passions - they are my drug. So when I'm all out, I do seem to go into withdrawals.

That's why I keep that stash of old tapes on hand - when I hit bottom, they always seem to get me through. ;)

A New Discovery; An Old Favourite

One of the biggest joys in my life, as most of you know, is making musical "discoveries" - when I unexpectedly stumble across a musician, singer, or band that I've never heard of before, and they blow me away with their awesomeness.

It's probably why I enjoy shows like Canadian Idol & American Idol. I love feeling like one of the first people to enjoy this fresh, untapped talent, and promote it in my circle of friends. This Blog has become a great vehicle for me to discuss new music that I love - and that I want you to love, too.

So here we go again!

On Saturday night, I had the pleasure of taking in the Randy Travis concert at the Civic Centre. My taste in music is wide & diversified, so it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that I have a bit of a soft-spot for Mr. Travis. Hearing his voice takes me back to Sunday drives when I was a kid, with my mom & dad up front, and all three of us kids in the backseat. We had exactly four tapes to listen to - Gail Gavan, Elvis Presley, Kenny Rogers, and Randy Travis. The only ones my dad would tolerate as we toured the back roads of the Pontiac, looking for deer and singing at the top of our lungs.

When I hear songs from any of those four albums, I still know the words off by heart.

So yes, I was looking forward to seeing Randy Travis in concert for the first time, and hearing all those old favourites from my childhood.

What I wasn't expecting was to be absolutely blown away by his opening band, The Higgins. From the moment they took the stage with a beautiful acapella version of "Factory Girl", I was captivated by Kathleen, Eileen, and John Higgins, siblings from Delta, B.C.


Their music was country, infused with a Celtic flavour, and the blend of their three voices together was pure magic. Their set lasted for about an hour, as they played songs from their new album The Real Thing. I haven't been listening to much country radio lately, but apparently they're getting air time on Y101, so you may already be familiar with them.

If you're not, check them out at http://www.higginsmusic.com/ - you won't regret it! I forked out $20 for their CD, and I've become a big fan in just a matter of days. I just love them.

Now, after enjoying the opening act so much, I was afraid Randy Travis wouldn't be able to compare, but I needn't have worried. He kicked things off with the ever-popular "Diggin' Up Bones", and never stopped the whole night through. Highlights for me were "I Told You So", "Three Wooden Crosses", and a fun sing-along to "King of the Road". We were also treated to some of his new songs from his current album, Around the Bend, and I particularly enjoyed "Dig Two Graves" and "Everything I Own Has Got a Dent". Of course, what would a Randy Travis show be without "Forever and Ever Amen"? He closed the show with his signature hit, and the crowd loved every second of it.

Speaking of the crowd... I have never been to a show where so many people had to be helped to their seats. There were walkers and canes and wheelchairs galore. The most popular hair colour was white. Hardly anybody stood up, and hand clapping was about as lively as it got in the seats. Kristen, Luke & I were clearly amongst the youngest fans in attendance. Yet it didn't put a damper on the concert at all. Just glancing around, I could see the enjoyment on everyone's faces, young and old, and Randy Travis is quite an entertainer. His jokes between songs were funny, even to us, and his on-stage banter with the crowd was fresh and amusing.

Interesting how on the same stage, I found both a new act and an old favourite, equally enjoyable in completely different ways. Thanks to The Higgins and Randy Travis, it was well worth the admission price!

And We're Going to Extra Innings...

It was a chilly one at the Quyon ball park last night, but a large crowd - probably the biggest of the summer - filled the bleachers to watch the hometown Flyers take on the Stittsville 56'ers in Game #4 of their best-of-5 semifinal in the Greater Ottawa Fastball League.

With their playoff lives on the line, the Flyers needed a big win to push the series to the 5th and final game. It became clear early on that they weren't about to get blown out the way they did the night before in Stittsville. They were tight defensively, and on several occasions, Quyon's Drew Hathway pitched them out of a jam, and looked quite impressive on the mound for the Flyers.

Unfortunately, they weren't able to get much going offensively. Inning after inning, they were leaving runners stranded on the bags, unable to get that big hit to bring some runs in. When a 56'er solo homerun put the enemy ahead 1-0 mid-game, I was concerned that the local boys wouldn't be able to put together enough offensive power to get it back.

There was no need to worry. In the bottom half of the same inning, Quyon shortstop Matt Greer hit one long to draw them even with Stittsville, giving the Flyers fans reason to believe.

Of course, I managed to miss one of the "highlights" of the game when I decided to take a run to the little girls' room in the middle of an inning. I was just emerging from the washroom when I heard a big cheer go up in the stands. Upon returning to my seat, I learned I had missed my very own baby bro throwing a guy out at home.

It was pure excitement up in the bleachers. Tensions were high and the cheering was loud. Never once did we give up, or believe that it couldn't be done. After 7 innings, and still tied 1-1, the game went into extra innings, and then we were all on the edge of our seats, particularly with a runner placed on second to start each inning.

It was in the 10th inning that the 56'ers scored another run, forcing Quyon to answer back in the bottom of the inning ...or else. By this point, it was getting awfully cold up in the stands - I know my teeth were chattering, although I'm not sure it was entirely just the frigid night air. Could've been nerves!!

It all came down to the bottom of the 10th. At last, Quyon was able to break through with some hits and a few wild pitches that hit players, getting men on base, and scoring one to tie the game. When Steve McCord came up to bat with two out, he was able to connect bat to ball and finish the game, bringing in the winning run to the roar of the cold but rowdy crowd!!

Game #5 will be played in Stittsville next week, date and time yet to be determined. And I apologize for my rather vague reporting on the game - for some reason, when it came to sorting out details, I got a little muddled and started mixing up what happened in what inning - I'll blame it on the freezing cold I sat through to watch the game. Guess next time I'll have to bring a pad & pen to take notes, like a real reporter!

For a full and accurate re-cap (likely to be updated later today), check out: http://fitzroyfastball.blogspot.com/

GO FLYERS GO!!

Theo Gets the Glory!

Hmmm...There doesn't seem to be any Quyon Flyers bragging on the Blog this morning...Better luck tonight, boys!!

So after my own ball game last night (which we also lost), I headed home and stayed up til midnight watching my taped Canadian Idol finale. A lil zonked today, not gonna lie, but I think it was worth it.

As promised, it was a star-studded affair, with many special guests and performances before Ben Mulroney finally revealed the winner of this year's competition. And yes, folks, something finally - FINALLY - went right for me on Idol this summer, when Theo Tams was crowned this year's winner! Theo really did deserve the victory - his voice is amazing, his performances were memorable and strong, and I'm sure he'll go a long way in the music business and sell lots of records. Kudos to him & I wish him well!

So now I'll run down my list of highlights and lowlights for the night.

First of all, after watching performance after performance, it struck me how the Canadian Idol finale is a lot like an awards show - without any awards being presented in between. And to be quite honest, I'd far rather they fill in the two hours with just performance from the Top 10, Top 2, and re-cap reels, because that's basically all that interested me last night. Brian Melo? Nice to see ya back, but I didn't like his song at all. John Legend? Honestly, never heard of the guy before this past week, and while I think he's a handsome dude, his music isn't my thing. Jully Black? She had her ups & downs as sort-of-co-host this year, but her performance last night was just "meh" for me. I enjoyed the re-caps of her hanging with the contestants more. Again, not my cuppa tea. And Mariah Carey? She looked a little Botox-y, her mic stand was awfully twinkly...and aside from those notables, not much else to say. Another letdown.

Fair to say that the only non-Top-10 performance I really enjoyed was by Hedley, singing my favourite Hedley song, "Old School". Loved it.

Now, for me, as a huge fan of Sebastian Pigott's (bet ya didn't know that, eh?), the big highlights of the night were anytime he was on stage. Literally. Even when he was so much as just standing there, my eyes were on him. My gosh, how I've missed the guy.

The Top 10 kicked off the show by singing "Can't Stop This Thing We've Started" by Bryan Adams, then they each broke off to do their own mini-performances. Sebastian rocked out to CCR's "Down on the Corner", and it was really cool. Reminiscent of his "Lucille" perfomance. And boy, was he looking good last night!!

After a taped segment that took us to Malawi with Ben & Farley to promote UNICEF, the Top 10 took the stage again for a special performance - it was very touching. Again, my eyes were on Sebastian the whole time. Holy hell, he's hot.

The final time they all took the stage together was my absolute favourite part of the night. Partly because they sang "Home" by Daughtry, aka Chris Daughtry, a former American Idol contestant of whom I'm a big fan. Partly 'cause I love that song. Partly 'cause it was Sebastian's best vocal of the night - he really nailed the little part he got to sing. It was just perfect!



When we finally got down to the business of the Final 2, both Theo and Mitch were allowed to showcase their favourites from the summer. Theo chose "Weak in the Knees", and just like the first time around, he did an amazing job with it. Absolutely wonderful. I was also really happy that Mitch decided to reprise "Love this Town" - it was one of my favourites, too, and when he sang it, I actually thought, "Ya know, it wouldn't be so bad if he did win this thing..."

Last but not least, the guys joined together for one final hurrah, taking on Blue Rodeo's "Hasn't Hit Me Yet", with Theo on piano and Mitch on guitar... And it was really, really awesome. The best Final 2 performance ever. The lyrics were appropriate for the situation they were in, and the harmonies were excellent. I hope that they decide to record it together and put it on one of their future albums. It's sure to be a part of the Top 3 Tour which they will be going on this fall with Drew. So cool!

I was thankful on finale night that Sebastian's older brother, Oliver, didn't go unmentioned. I spotted him briefly in several of the re-cap packages, and it really was a credit to him when Theo brought him up when he spoke of how nerve-wracking it was when they narrowed the group down to the Top 24. He said that when he was brought in for his final judgement, along with two other guys, he was sure they were all being sent home, because eight guys had already been selected, and Oliver and Sebastian were both still waiting in the room. I still consider it a travesty that Oliver didn't make it to the Top 10. Every time I listen to his songs, I'm absolutely floored by how amazing he is, and it was nice to hear the eventual winner give him those kind of props. Obviously, the Pigott brothers were highly respected by their peers on the show, and I don't doubt that even Theo probably wonders how it wasn't Ollie standing next to him last night.

I was searching for Oliver and the rest of Sebastian's family in the crowd last night, but I was never able to pick them out. Of course, the camera is always seeking out the celebs in the crowd, and they were there in droves last night - MuchMusic VJ's; the judges for So You Think You Can Dance Canada (which starts tonight); athletes like Kurt Browning; prolific Canadian newscasters; actors from shows like Degrassi: The Next Generation; and other performers, like Matt Dusk. In fact, Dusk was my favourite, because when the camera zoomed in on him, they seemed to ignore the fact that he was sitting right next to Tie Domi!! Apparently Tie is no longer recognizable enough to get his own "shout-out"!! HILARIOUS!!

Oh - and I also loved it when Theo was finally announced the winner and the rest of the Top 10 gathered on stage while the red-and-white confetti fluttered down on them. It appeared as though Earl & Sebastian were trying to catch the little pieces, chasing them around the stage - it made me laugh just watching them, and it reminded me of what a great group it was this year.

All in all, it's been a great season on Canadian Idol, with many highs and lows, but at the end of the day, I do think the best man won.

Congrats to Theo, and I'm looking forward to what he does in the future!