Repaired ankle gets to chase young punks at BMO Field

The ankle has been feeling pretty good over the last few weeks and I'm almost back at full speed. The only big restriction is jumping off my right foot, still need some work there. Our [ultimate] team Oxygen Hazard had a match-up last night at BMO Field (yeeha) against the hot, cocky junior team D.I.R.T. These kids (max age 18) have all the moves, fast legs, great athletism and some oversized egos. However, they don't have the experience and can easily get a little flustered when the defensive pressure is on or a quick turnover occurs. We've picked up some solid players this year and it all came together last night for a classic game of veteren experience versus young guns. We won 15-11 on the Toronto FC football pitch (sweet). Yours truly had some memorable plays including a zippy break-force hammer into the end zone for a score. I love this game, too bad I'm missing the next 5-6 games with all kinds of summer vacation and weekend plans. Looking forward to joining back up with the team in August and the run to September playoffs.



Sidenote: I'm proud to say I was the co-designer of the TUC logo above many years ago - the colouring keeps changing, but I'm just happy my artwork is still being used, I should have copyrighted it !

Are these football players just a bunch of big pansies ?

What I'm referring to is the constant grounding of a football player caused by:

1. An overly aggressive tackle from an opposing player - a foul
2. A minor touch from an opposing player that causes the "victim" to exaggerate impact and dive acrobatically to the ground
3. No contact whatsoever, but one which may be close enough to fool the referee with a fake dive.

However, it's not just the fall, it's the level of pain and agony expressed by the fallen player that comes into play, such as:

1. Player grips ankle, leg or foot and writhes around in surely the worst pain of the lives
2. Player's neck snaps back as if Mohamed Ali has just delivered a right hook and broken the player's nose - what, no blood ?
3. The player legitimately looks like he's in some pain from a twist and severe impact with hard parts of another player.
4. The player knocks heads with another player - ouch that hurts !

There are of course lots of permutations and combinations of the examples above and the issue is rather complex, but the majority of incidents do appear to be grossly exaggerated by today's professional football players. I've heard some explain the phenomena as like fighting in hockey, it's an unfortunate part of the game, but one that's perhaps rather tricky to eliminate and one we unfortunately tolerate. I know, I know hockey fans, the two phenomena are very different, but as a sports fan, I can see how the basic comparison may be valid. That is, we don't like to see a player dive or a fight break out, but we tolerate it because we love the sport so much and we can overlook their imperfections. As the old saying goes, I'm not going to cut my nose off to spite my face. I love football, so I'll put up with the silliness.

I would like to say however, that having played a little footy in my time and been involved with a few other contact sports, if you're kicked or kneed or otherwise poked by an 'ard body part, it bloody hurts. Keep in mind that there is very little protection worn by a football player. With the slow motion, close-up replays these days, you can tell that some of the hits are quite severe and perhaps warrant the victim's reaction. On the other hand, the same replay shows just how ridiculous some of the faking and exaggeration is as well.

So, the fans have just finished watching the Euro quarter finals and are eagerly awaiting the mid week semis. I would say the refereeing has been quite good and I believe a fair number of yellow cards have been issued for diving. This seems to be a good practice these days and if used more regularly could help reduce the problem.

As for the quality of the footy when players are on their feet - I think it's been marvellous. I think there's really only been a few dull games and most have been close contests with action right up to the last seconds of play. There have been a fair number of upsets, but you can't argue that the 4 teams remaining are worthy contestants.

Well who's it going to be:

The solid, strong and well organized Germans with lots of finishing fire power.
The passionate and driven Turks who never give up.
The fast and powerful finishing of the Russians.
The delightfully skilled possession game of the Spanish.

And let's hope that the players show us their real skills rather than their play acting.

Black Watch

Theatre review from the subway: I just saw Black Watch at the Luminato festival. It is the tragic tale of the noble causes of a powerful military regiment brought to humble and worthless ends. It lived up to the hype but was a little different to what I expected. It was a tremendous blend of drama, political commentary, history lesson, humour, music and dance. Yes the language was very profane (I don't think I've heard the C word said that many times in my whole life). But the violence was not as much as I anticipated and offset with lots of lad's laffs. Wonderful, energetic performances from the whole cast. Passionate and personal acting. Fantastic. Thanks to Jessica for the great recommendation.

He's just a big kid

Currently waiting for Best Buy to open to buy a PS3.

I guess I'm a little embarrassed to say this is a luxury purchase for me, nothing to do with the kids and one with no solid educational, environmental, or social worth. Its just a new toy for a big kid. A tech treat just in time for Father's Day.

As some may know I value top notch quality and strive for a rich existence. This includes my AV entertainment and to some degree the new world (for me) of video gaming.

So when I bought my Sony Bravia 1080p LCD last spring I was hoping it wouldn't be too long a wait to experience the very best in home video quality - high definition movies. Luckily since then, the HD DVD vs Blu-ray war has been settled. So what's brought me to this latest purchase decision ?

As it turns out, the Sony Playstation 3 (PS3) is not only (arguably) the best video game console on the market, but its also a very good Blu-ray disc (BD) player. I've actually been asking a lot of Sony experts and sure enough the BD technology in the PS3 is exactly the same as Sony's standalone BD players. Furthermore, the PS3 is priced very close to entry level, single purpose BD players on the market today. But why today ?

Today is the world release of an exclusive PS3 game called MetalGearSolid 4 (which definitely looks cool). The clever clogs have bundled this game with the hard to find 80gb version of the PS3. Hold on, it now gets a bit complicated...the dirty secret is that to be backwardly compatible with PS2 games (which my son has many) you need the 80gb version not the cheaper 40gb version. Plus this version will upconvert the video quality of those games to 1080p. One extra small bonus is the bundle comes with new version of the controller.

So now there's about 10 of of us in line and rumour has it there's somewhere between 5 and 30 in stock.

Stay tuned.

Ankle update

Its been 5 months today since my surgery to repair my broken ankle. Last night I played ultimate and it felt the best in has in 5 months. I was actually able to sprint and make a few decent cuts in the second half (although I was still a big defensive liability in the first half). On the hottest June on record (33.1 c, 41 c humidex) we ended up losing 17-15 as the steam / fog was drifting onto the field around 9pm. Maybe the heat loosened me up ! It was very soar afterwards and bugging me a little this morning, but it's put me in a great mood ! Now if only the subway was only running this morning (reporting live from Starbucks with latte in hand waiting for the situation to clear).

Euro 2008

For footballs fans - in case I didn't get to all of you on the invite, and you're not too late...I set up a fantasy pool on ESPN. If you're interested, go to http://games.espn.go.com/euro/frontpage and create an account and then join my group "castlefield", password is "phil".

New music finds - something for everyone

For the eclectic move and groove fan - Yaov
Sultry jazz vocals - Melody Gardot
For some smooth down home R&B - Lizz Wright
Singer songwriter soulman - Jamie Lidell
Moving to some urban hip hop - Platinum Pied Pipers (aka PPP)

I just found these last night (NOW and HMV sources) and downloaded 2-4 tracks per artist, so repeat airplay hasn't pushed them all right --> to the PJMixer Hot Music List yet.

The one trick I use when exploring a new artist is to use iTunes to see which tracks are the most popular - it's usually a good starting point.

New music finds - something for everyone

For the eclectic move and groove fan - Yaov
Sultry jazz vocals - Melody Gardot
For some smooth down home R&B - Lizz Wright
Singer songwriter soulman - Jamie Lidell
Moving to some urban hip hop - Platinum Pied Pipers (aka PPP)

I just found these last night (NOW and HMV sources) and downloaded 2-4 tracks per artist, so repeat airplay hasn't pushed them all right --> to the PJMixer Hot Music List yet.

The one trick I use when exploring a new artist is to use iTunes to see which tracks are the most popular - it's usually a good starting point.

Dream Lyrics

While out with friends the other night we got talking about favourite songs. Specifically what is your favourite song of all time?

This seems like an easy answer at first, but the closer I get to an answer, the harder I think it is. My all-time top 10 or top 100 I could answer more easily. There would be some songs for happy times and sad times. Songs I love for the melody, others for the lyrics. Some songs that speak to me or put a smile on my face. Songs that bring me back to a specific place, time or people.

So to pick just one song from all the songs that I love? I'm going to take some time with this one and report back next week.

So for now, I will share more of my favourite lyrics. Lyrics about dreaming always speak to me...as I am a dreamer and my friends tell me I live in a rose-coloured world. Even back in high school, my entry in my yearbook was: "Usually Found... daydreaming". I haven't changed much.


You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
and the world will be as one.
(Imagine by John Lennon)

J'rêve les yeux ouverts
Ça m'fait du bien
(Les Yeux Ouverts by Beautiful South from French Kiss soundtrack)

and the English version of the song:
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you.
But in your dreams whatever they be, dream a little dream of me.

I am a dreamer but when I wake
You can't break my spirit -- it's my dreams you take
(Goodbye My Lover by James Blunt)

I used to be a dreamer
Couldn't fall asleep
Trying to find an answer
A reason to believe
(Live by Ben's Brother)

I want to change the world...instead I sleep.
(Keep Breathing by Ingrid Michaelson)

Got my dreams, got my life, got my love
Got my friends, got the sunshine above
(Happy by Natasha Bedingfield)

And while I can think, while I can talk
While I can stand, while I can walk
While I can dream, please let my dream
Come true, right now.
(If I Can Dream by Elvis Presley)

Big money in sports

I do like sports, but I'm not certain how I feel about the big money the players make.

On one had, professional sportsmen and women are some of the best athletes in the world. The best of the best are those that have very few rivals who can seriously match their abilities in their particular sports. I do also believe that most professional athletes work hard to maintain their game, and the top players have a extremely hard work ethic that probably puts most of us to shame. For the most part, these are exceptional and gifted individuals that deserve to be paid very well. Some of them even put the lives on the line. How well should they be paid is perhaps the question ? With professional sports, the money is not just for the individual abilities, but more and more the commercial draw of the sport and the star players. This is where the math gets a little silly, but I can see how Tiger Woods is perhaps worth $100M over 5 years to Nike, but Gatorade ? That's a lot of liquid !

On the other hand, some players don't appear to deserve it. Certain players are very good at sports and enjoy the chance to get paid to play their game. However, a bad season, a bad play or off-field personal events raise fan blood pressures and inflammatory accusations are often justified. Although not directly their fault, these players are in the public spotlight, which makes their compensation a public matter (I was going to say "unfortunately", but as I've already suggested, without the public, their performance and their sports would not exist). I'm not certain if the comparison is valid, but I'm sure there are big money brokers on Bay Street that would be very embarrassed if we knew what they were making ! So, players need to learn that they are truly lucky individuals and should make every effort to show they are worth the millions they are paid. Whether this is by bringing home the trophies or being the hardest working bench player, supporting their team mates or doing community charity work as a recognized star. They should also try and be true role models for the young fans. Seeing Tiger's poor losing attitude or hearing about drunken Portsmouth soccer players leaves a bad taste.

So on that note, and to bring this around to what prompted this post, here are the current list of highest paid US and International sport people in the world today. Are they worth it ?

SI.com International Sport Top 20
SI.com US Sport Top 50

Euro ads

Just a couple for now...


Love the subbuteo characters.


Part of ESPN's ad campaign.

Twitter

I just set up Twitter yesterday to see what all the fuss is about. I'm going to post this to my Facebook account so perhaps I can find some other friends on Twitter to follow. In short, I think it takes the fun mini-feed feature of Facebook and simply focuses in on that with support for some quicker updates tools. You'll also notice that my Twitter updates are showing in the right column. An early warning for new users - my Twitter profile is currently public and I've already received porn-like spam followers. I'm not sure if I should be flattered.

Unwritten rules about blogging*

1. You shouldn't have to sensor your blog.
2. You shouldn't have to be politically correct.
3. If you need to swear, swear. Let people know how you feel.
4. Listen to your audience, but don't let them dictate your content.
5. Spelling and grammar mistakes are only important if you're confusing the reader.
   
6. Lighten up.
7. Don't edit too much, the best content is often the first stuff that streams from your inner thoughts.
   
8. It's just your opinion, you could be wrong.
9. Not every rule list has to have 10 rules.

*All these rules are for the ideal world. I live in the real world.

Heightened senses on the subway

I just took the subway back from a customer meeting and had a few nervous moments with some urban hip youngsters. Three kids got on the subway one stop after I got on and quickly got to "joking" around with one another. The white guy was a little nervous about the body language from one of his black friends. I've got my head down reading the paper, but my spidey senses were tuned in to the situation. As the white kid retreats, the black kid reaches into his pocket. I'm a little nervous about the worst-case-scenario, but the kid pulls out a pencil, which he then continues to threaten his buddy with like a small hidden shiv. The banter then changes to talk of inappropriate black comments which raises the tension a little. I get off at my stop without any any further escalation in the situation. I expect it was all a little playacting between lads. In the old days it would be a little friendly wrestle or play slap, but in these times of racial tensions and "random" events, and you're in a busy subway car with a mix of shoppers, biz people, foreigners and children, you can almost see tomorrow's headlines. I think these street wise kids are smart enough to know what they are doing and like the power they have in these situations. Unfortunately, with a few stabbing events in the city this week and a drive through a dodgy neighbourhood a few days ago, I was far from my normal relaxed urban self. It doesn't happen too often, but occasionally I'm a little uncomfortable in my city. I don't like it.

Photography

I'm wondering who was my first family relative to buy a camera and take a photograph ? Whether if it was that original family camera pioneer or perhaps, the first one that took a photograph for artistic reasons, it's nice to think that photographs could be seen as a chronological artistic link within my family.

I'm not sure when I first saw photography as an art form and not just as a way to document an event or record pictures of the family. I don't mind taking the odd photo during family events (except the banal dining table or gift opening poses), but I make the best of having a camera in my hands and look for the more unusual shot, the candids, the unusual perspectives, close-ups, etc.

I'm happy to say, photography is a family hobby.

• My Dad was a keen photographer and taught me how to use an SLR.
• My uncle was a photographer with an artistic eye.
• My brother has taken his fair share of artistic shots.
• My cousin is the first in the family who has made a living through photography, see www.sportarts.co.uk.
• My sister-in-law spends a lot of time behind the lens shooting for her blog - Pedestrian Typography.
• My wife is always looking to capture the elusive sports action shot.
• My daughter is the latest photographer in the family, her favourite subjects being animals, nature and food.
• And I'm dabbling in it again too, see my photostream on flickr.

I'm still undecided on the best way to organize, edit and share my photos. At the moment, I'm using a combination of Picasa and Flickr. Flickr seems to have a better online experience and is a better known cyber destination for photographers, while Picasa's desktop application has some easy to use, but reasonably powerful management and editing tools. I should point out at this time, before my wife completely blows her stack, that she is a consultant for Creative Memories and uses Memory Manager software to organize our family photos at home.

For quite a while I've been drawn to online photography galleries and photo blogs. My favourite is a local photographer who I think does a wonderful job of transforming everyday places (many right by my office) and people into lovely works of photographic art. I think this is one thing that draws me to photography - you can walk by a building or park everyday and not notice it's beauty, but when an artistic photo is taken of that place it helps tune your eye to all the beautiful things around us. His photo blog is Daily Dose of Imagery. I can spend a lot of time wandering through the cyber galleries on Flickr, but also love to spend a little time with news photo galleries.

As a lover of tech and toys and always looking for technology upgrades (much to my wife's annoyance). I've been researching new cameras and indirectly finding some great online sources of information, whether you're looking for new equipment or getting the most out of your point-and-shoot digital camera. For instance, after learning a little more about white balance, I've now started to use settings other than auto and getting much better results. I won't go into the technical definition, but it's basically how the colour of your subject is influenced by the light source. I'm pretty sure the concept isn't anything new in photography, but now with digital, the white balance can be adjusted in-camera or left to post processing in your editing software. For an amateur tip, white balance settings are pretty easy to set and are typically designated by words (or images) related to weather or lighting, e.g. cloudy, sunny, tungsten, etc.

The other catalyst to my recent rekindled interest in photography is the Contact Photography Festival that's currently happening here in Toronto. I took my daughter to visit some of the exhibitions at MOCCA a few weeks ago, but we enjoyed our informal visit to the downtown west galleries just as much, especially when you get to ask the photographer a few questions about their work. We especially liked Lucy Molnar Wing and Ramesh Kamath (978 Queen Street West).

A few other favourites:

• My favourites on Flickr
• Kent Ferguson
• Robert Burley

Robert Burley's photo Demolition of Buildings 65 & 69 has been a key image during the festival and one whose story says a lot about the world of photography today. We saw the print at MOCCA and it has also been reproduced as a mural in the courtyard outside (some of my Flickr pictures show closeups) for the festival. When I first saw the image, it looked like something from 9/11 or The Kennedy Space Center. When I read that it was actually a picture of the demolition of two of Kodak's large manufacturing facilities in Rochester, the picture was clear. Viewed by hundreds of people, the event surely tells the story of change in the digital age.

An ingredient of a Lifelong Friendship - The In Joke

For me, one of the most valuable elements of a lifelong friendships is the "in joke". That humourous part of your life you've shared with a friend and one which you'll both remember for the rest of your life. That funny event that you can easily reproduce in your minds eye and one which instantly triggers the laughter button. When the joke re-emerges in the presence of friends in on the joke, the convo track could either take a simple knowing pause or veer into raucous group fits of laughter. But unfortunately, not everyone can share in the joke without a lengthy explanation. The great thing is that new ones are often created, especially with the introduction of new friends, friends with a sense of humour of course !

Here are a few that at least one of you will connect with:

• There's this guy...
• There's a teetering mound of crockery...
• Octopus ? Yes, an octopus...
• You're bending my tubes
• Overcome by strong fumes
• I beg you, make a giraffe sound
• The media family
• Not like that, just like that
• There's a monster...
• Doctor
• Would you like a cup of tea darling ?

Please feel free to add those that have escaped me, I'm ready !

Another blogger in the family

My wife started her blog My Life is Like a Song this week and is already on a role with a set of topics she plans to write about and is already introducing theme days. I like the bit in her latest post where she says...perhaps if others are interested, they would find my blog useful or entertaining and maybe they will want to start a blog of their own that I could enjoy. That's an interesting angle and is perhaps a characteristic of the web 2.0 world.

By incorporating content from our favourite sources, like friends and family blogs, or collaborating and sharing with those personalities that have become part of our online lives, it feels like we're creating our own personalized entertainment and information source.

This is pretty cool stuff folks. Join in. Share your thoughts, contribute and be heard.

Love Lyrics

In honour of my wedding anniversary this weekend, I thought I would share some of my favourite lyrics about love (not that our anniversary or love are frivolous but sharing favourite lyrics may become a regular fun thing for me to do).


With all your faults, I love you still
(It Had To Be You by Harry Connick Jr.)

When the chips are down I'll be around
With my undying, death-defying
Love for you
(Power of Love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood)

I hope all my days
Will be lit by your face
I hope all the years
Will hold tight our promises
(Atlantic by Keane)

There will be no white flag above my door
I'm in love and always will be
(White Flag by Dido)

I want somebody who cares
For me passionately
With every thought and
With every breath
(Somebody by Depeche Mode)

I love you more than I could ever promise
and you take me the way I am
(The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson)

Love is the answer
for most of the questions of my heart
(Better Together by Jack Johnson)

it's the heart that really matters in the end
(Little Wonders by Rob Thomas)

So put your arms around me and then stay there forever
Let it always be this way, you and me forever
(Put your arms around me by Natasha Bedingfield)

Hope you enjoyed and have a wonderful Victoria Day weekend.

Brilliant Graffiti Animation

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Found on http://www.thethinkingblog.com/.

How to be an ambassador for your city

I've had a few blog notes on this topic tucked away for a while, but as it happens, there's been some related items in the news this week about the decline in tourist satisfaction when they visit this fine metropolis.

Here are a few tips on being an ambassador for your city.

• Know the facts, e.g. Toronto was originally called York and is 174 years old...
• Relate some special things that you won't find in the tour books
  
• Quote book, song and movie references for your city, e.g. Toronto without it's trees is like a hooker without her smile.
  
• Have some favourite city stories, e.g. the film set cleanup story
  
• Offer assistance to anyone who looks like they're in need of directions
• Provide good driving instructions, with efficient alternative routes
• Know best restaurants and bars in most areas of the city, e.g. Shoeless Joes on King West for Toronto FC pre-game pints...
  
• Provide a walking tour on demand
• Know which way you're facing at all times
  
• Support your local sports teams
  
• And most importantly, be proud of your city
  

Another reason to hate China ?

How quickly the media manage to spin on global headlines...

As I've been reading more about the massive death tools mounting in China and Myanmar (Burma) this week, I've noticed a few different spins occurring.

One is the issue with delays in getting foreign aid to Myanmar and the other is blame for the Chinese deaths on corrupt government. It kind of reminds of the Katrina disaster.

What use is this side story of blame for the loss of thousands of lives ? Is it to fire up our collective global consciousness or to rally against scrupulous foreign governments. If diplomatic missions fail, are they reasons for embargoes and war ?

One thing is clear, we know who the victims are.

Reminders

How do you manage your reminders and to-dos ? See the new poll feature on the right-hand-side-panel.

Quite a few people seem to use their email inbox for reminders, tasks and to-dos. Most email applications have some way of tagging, flagging or starring individual emails so they stand out when quickly glancing at your inbox. Other more business focused email applications can also have automatic pop-up reminders for emails based on a set date and time. Although this works well in desktop Outlook, it doesn't work when you're looking at synchronized emails on your Blackberry.

Now the trick is keeping the mail box items email count low ( I try to keep mine below 50) and getting emails in there to fill in missing action items.

Well deserved Champions

I have to say Manchester United deserved to win the Premier League Championship today. I'd say they are probably the best team in the world right now with one final game (Champions League final) in a couple of weeks to nail it home. Although I became an Arsenal fan this year, I have to say I enjoy Man United's attacking football, wonderful skills and a great bunch of characters. Congratulations lads - I had a big grin on my face watching the post-game celebrations as they raised the trophy - you've got to be happy for the lads.

The value of a Premier League promotion

For those that follow English football and have wondered about the impact of moving from the second division to arguably the top league in the world - how does £60million sound ? I'm doing a little surfing in preparation for the final day of the EPL and saw the story on ESPNsoccernet.

The week that was (rather annoying)

I had an ok week, but there seemed to be more than an average number of items that got to me - but fortunately they gave me some nice juicy things to write about. The noisy young dude on the subway. You know the type, that cocky attitude that will get him beat up when he's younger, but will ultimately give him the chutzpah to be massively successful in the business world. Aviator glasses; whiny and piercing voice; Gabe Kotter do; plus 4 annoying friends who thinks he's hilarious and agree with everything he has to say. Oh, come on.

The electric guitar busker at Yonge and Eglinton. Hey, I love music, but I do have a limit and this guy's way over the line. The dude's trying to do one long guitar solos at a blaring volume. I like some good heavy rock and metal as good as the next guy, but I don't recognize anything this guy's is trying to play. Dude.

Tax forms. I'm not a great money man, but I don't mind manually filling out my tax form every year (actually there seems to be something rather comforting about the old fashioned way of doing your taxes - rough copy with a pencil a calculator and some intricate instructions). But when I get to an unfamiliar section and venture down a hopeful path of new found refund discovery and then find out that your net income is to be subtracted from the promising sub-total. Result: a big fat zero, agh, that's pretty annoying. Couldn't they give me a clue upfront that a person making a reasonable income shouldn't even bother with the section ?

Survivor. Note that my current domestic contract does not permit me to elaborate.

A hair on my sandwich. What can I say, I was hungry and I know if I'd made a big fuss about it, nothing would change. Side note - while I was eating said sandwich, one of the "sandwich preparation team" snuck up on me as she was trying to clean the window sill and touched me leg - quite a surprise. Nice eventful lunch break eh ?

People who drive less than 8 blocks to work. And I'm assuming the person is able bodied and has enough time to get a little exercise and enjoy their neighbourhood. However, I obviously can't assume they're paying attention to, or care about, any of the environmental topics smothering the media today.

The Toronto Blue Jays. A bumped into a buddy of mine the other day and he said he was looking forward to having a quiet night in and catching the Jay's game. Ahem, NHL, NBA playoffs ! But the one that put this annoyance in the list is the story of a two recent autograph signing events. Last week I was overjoyed to meet my favourite Toronto FC lad Danny Dichio at the opening of the new Adidas store at Yonge and Dundas. He was there with two other teammates (who I'm embarrassed to say, I didn't recognize) and no one else was there asking for autographs. Not only did I get 2 nice personalized autograph cards for my son and I, but I had the luxury of having a chat - I could have had time to have a beer with the guys ! Compare that to the site of hundreds of people lined up in Sears by my office to get an autograph from Matt Stairs a few days later. (No I didn't know who he was either, I had to ask the security guard). Hundreds ! Zan says it was because of better marketing. Another mate said it was because all the TFC fans have jobs.

Escalators under a constant state of "proactive maintenance". The worst one is at my subway stop - Yonge and Eglinton (photo below shot this morning). I don't think they've had both escalators running for a year now ! But there are many more around the city that just choke the regular flow of the growing commuter foot traffic in this fine city.

I'm not sure where Jenny Yellow Top is trying to go !

The ankle. Ok, I am now back as a functional member of the walking humans club, but I'm far from being game shape for ultimate. My physio says I'm probably overdoing it. He's probably right - ultimate practice on Tuesday, a little footy with the kids yesterday, three 2km+ runs last week, a few hoops and lots of downtown walking.

Losing stuff. In this case, a windows folder called "demos". You can image it had a lot of valuable stuff in it. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how I'd deleted it. But it was gone ! I went about my business with that horrible nagging feeling of "you-idiot" with me for about 6 hours until I finally found an old (February) backup. Backup your valuable computer data people !

But to end on a nice note, I walked into my lovely office this morning to find a nice potted hyacinth on my desk for Mother's Day. As Zan just said, a thoughtful touch for the forgetful Dad (not that I'm one of those). Yes, I brought it home !

It could only be from the BBC

Rocketing to number one on the PJMixer Hot Music List

The Last Shadow Puppets with the album the Age of the Understatement.

Fantastic new collaboration from Arctic Monkey's front man, Alex Turner and old mate Mikes Kane. Great melodies, great songwriting. Poignant lyrics with same Monkeys rhythms set to orchestral soundtrack. Brilliant. Thanks to Dink for first tuning in the radar.

Lots of vids and liver performances on youtube.

PJMixer lists

I just added two lists on the right which I intend to keep up to date as a quick reference to my music and movie recommendations. I don't go the movie theatre very often so the movie list mostly includes recent DVD releases and movies I'm watching on The Movie Network. I watch a lot of movies, but the ones I'm listing are the ones I've given high marks to. Mini reviews are available on my Facebook profile.

Getting stood up in business

The 1pm meeting didn't happen today. Our host had an "internet emergency", but apparently had also completely forgotten we were meeting today. Hence he didn't provide any cancellation notice. This customer isn't one of our best and with actions like this, things don't look good for a rosy relationship any time soon. The result, my sales mate and I wasted approx. 2 hours of our business day and guzzled 37 kms worth of liquid gold. There's an unwritten rule in sales, that if you call to confirm a meeting, you risk the chance the customer will wiggle out of the meeting with some lame excuse. This approach typically works, but about once a quarter we have a fumble and wonder if the rule needs a special corollary for the sly, self-important, middle manager.

Controversial thought of the day

Just got a few quiet moments sitting in my car waiting for my 1pm meeting...

I was listening to some great tracks from the Timbaland album on the drive here. Some great lyrics and a fab urban hip hop beat.

But as I found myself singing along to the explicit lyrics I had a natural hesitation on the buddy use of the N word.

Am I allowed to say the N word as I'm singing along ? Should I sensor myself ? Am I dissin' anyone ?

Concerned and confused.

Controversial thought of the day

Just got a few quiet moments sitting in my car waiting for my 1pm meeting...

I was listening to some great tracks from the Timbaland album on the drive here. Some great lyrics and a fab urban hip hop beat.

But as I found myself singing along to the explicit lyrics I had a natural hesitation on the buddy use of the N word.

Am I allowed to say the N word as I'm singing along ? Should I sensor myself ? Am I dissin' anyone ?

Concerned and confused.

Planet Dundas Square

I visit the Daily Dose of Imagery photo blog almost every day. I love this guy's photography of our beautiful city. He may use the same locations all the time, but one of them happens to be Yonge Dundas Square which is where my office is. His Flickr location is http://flickr.com/photos/wvs and he's also put together a very cool panoramic view of this area of downtown Toronto at: http://www.viewat.org/?i=en&sec=pn&id_pn=1442&rc=1.

There are deals to be found (from nice people too)

Ok, not completely a football post, but related...

I had a meeting in the West end of the city today and the office tower I was visiting had a small food court (yes, the Hero burger didn't disappoint) and a few shops. On the way back to the car, a Man U shirt caught my eye and I stepped inside. It was a very plain looking store, mostly bargain racks and a strange selection of formal ladies attire. But sure enough, they had a few shirts of the world's biggest football teams clearly hanging on display. I saw an Arsenal shirt I've contemplated purchasing and checked the price (expecting to see the usual $110 price tag). All the shirts were $55 ! I made quite a big deal of the bargain with the sales lady who simply stated she doesn't want to be greedy and prefers to sell a good number of them and pocket a decent margin. She buys the shirts for $35. She had sold about 10 yesterday and I'm sure she'll sell a few more in the last few weeks of European football.

If anyone wants to pick up an authentic replica football shirt, pay a visit to Dalia at D&S Boutique in the Sun Life Financial Centre (Bloor and Islington) - say the Arsenal fan sent you !

Apart from saying that great deals can be found (if you keep your eye open), the reason for putting this into words was to acknowledge family-run, small businesses. And especially, those shop owners who are smart enough to have an eye for a hot product and simply what to make some good, fair, and honest money. Dalia provided great, friendly service that left me with a nice little story to tell. Plus I wanted to give her a little free advertising.

It just keeps on getting better

Apologies to the non-sports fans, but I have to write a quick wow on today's Champions League semi final bout. Just like the weekend game, this one was jammed full of the drama of the game, right thru to the very last seconds of extra time. I hope anyone who's a football fan saw it. For those that missed it, the result sets up a repeat match-up of Chelsea and Manchester United on May 21st in Moscow for the final.

Frank Lampard after putting away a gut wrenching penalty kick. Clear emotion with memory of his mother who passed away less than a week ago. I'm sure she'd be proud of her boy.

I billion fans weren't disappointed

An estimated 1 billion people in over 600 million households all over the world tuned in to today's Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester United. Why ? Arguably 2 of the best football teams in the world squaring off with one just 3 points ahead of the other with only 3 league games to play in the season. The stage was set for a cracker of a game and it didn't disappoint.

• Goal line clearances
• Ravanous fans
• Arguing teammates
• A penalty
• Some blood
• Super timed expert tackles
• Controversial calls
• Emotional sub plots
• Boiling over tempers
• Star studded substitutions
• and a hot sunny day

Discover alternative opportunities with the follow-on question (if you're interested)

Example, buying clothes, electronics, etc. People are afraid to show interest because they don't want to be pressured into a purchase. You, as a customer, should always ask more if you are a really interested buyer (and not just a shopper). The fact you don't ask the follow-on question tells the sales person you're really only browsing and not interested in making a purchase.

Business. Good sales people ask lots of questions when have the opportunity (and sometimes even when the timing isn't ideal - following your customer into the washroom perhaps). But they only ask if they are really interested in doing business with the specific customer.

Relationships. Sometimes, people are afraid to ask further follow-on questions because they think their questions may be misconstrued as being nosy. If you're interested in what the other person is talking about, it's only natural you want to know more. The lack of the follow-on could suggest the other party isn't interested in the topic or you. But it could mean they are just being (overly) polite or shy.

Education. Whether in the 8th grade classroom or attending a business presentation, asking a follow-on or clarifying question is the best way to solidify a newly learned concept or a way to find out more information (if you care and if you're interested).

In all of these situations, a follow-on question may open up alternative opportunities. The simple follow-on question ("no, this isn't perfect, you don't have anything else you'd recommend, do you ?") could lead to a new idea or open your eyes to something you may have overlooked in your own shopping search; or perhaps in a sales meeting, a simple "Would you like to hear what else our company can do for you ?" or "is there someone else in your organization who you think would like to hear about us ?", could uncover new sales opportunities.

In relationships and at different times during a conversation, you could be on either side of the discussion, the one asking the questions or the one answering. If you're interested, you'll ask more questions of the person. If you're interested, you'll answer and ask your own questions. If one is more interested than the other, then the discussion will end abruptly or uncomfortably. Or worse, one person may get the impression the other person is interested and continue the (one-sided) discussion. At the end of which, the receiving party is saying "man, I'm glad he's gone". But who's to blame ?

In verbal conversation, this back and worth is a natural process and one that ultimately, should produce a rich experience for both parties (if they're interested). With traditional letter writing (and maybe with blog writing), this is almost impossible. I remember writing letters when I was young with common questions like "how's school going ?" or "did you like you holiday in Bognor Regis ?". What did I expect, a letter back in two months with the answers ? Electronic communications are tricky though. Many times, you don't want to ask the follow-on question because you think your barrage of emails is becoming intrusive or annoying, but that's only the case if the other party isn't interested in discussing alternatives with you or providing more information. But if they are interested and are really open to alternatives and want to build the relationship, then they won't mind at all. Instant messaging is the closest electronic option to the verbal conversation and the long back and forth Q&A is accepted (however, normally, only people that have already established good relationships use IM).

I think that when the right questions are asked and it leads us to something fulfilling, we unknowingly say we're lucky. As many would agree, you've made your own luck by asking follow-on questions and opening up alternative opportunities.

Any questions ?

Drew Carey pumps up the real football on Letterman and other misc. footy bits

Great to see some stateside publicity for the beautiful game (see youtube clip below). Drew happens to be one of America's biggest soccer fans - just look at some of the stuff you can find if you google "drew carey soccer".

Great to see TFC win their first game of the season on Sunday (against Beckham's boys, no less). For me, this comes just in time as Arsenal's premier league and Champion's league hopes were crushed last week. I love that MLS is just starting up as the leagues in Europe wind down - footy year round ! I'm also off to the our footy store shortly to pick some new boots for the lad as he's trying out for his school team this week.

If you're looking for a more comprehensive world football web site, then you may want to check in regularly to ESPN's soccernet. I actually heard about this from my Geordie mate Ashley (actually from Sunderland, and my hairdresser - don't laugh).

Who's your pick for the Champion's League ?

And a fellow blogger that I just found that seems to have a lot to say is jmayers and his "the beautiful game blog". I also just found this interesting (but very biased and "colourful") response to an article about soccer in the US on another "beautiful game" blog.

And finally - odd football item of the week - UW Engineering students add a virtual spark to the pub favourite foosball.

Football commentary

Just watching the LA Galaxy vs TFC footy game and I've got to rant. Not about our poor defense or the constant, ineffective, long balls but the horrible US commentary. Unfortunately, today's game is in LA and there's no Toronto based TV commentary. It's like they forget there's actually a game going on sometimes, with all the "colour commentary", iffy history lessons, and promotional "shout-outs". You just really appreciate the simplicity of a nice bloke's play-by-play commentary.

1-1 at the half, maybe I'll turn the volume down a little and let my son do the commentating.

On a related note, I was gutted about Arsenal's loss to Liverpool in the Champion's league mid-week. The thing that was quite disappointing was that the fantastic run from Walcott that ended with the Gunner's second goal was overshadowed by the final result.

And don't get me started on some dodgy refereeing over the last couple of weeks.

Hey PJ, put a record on

I finally got around to adding a new playlist on finetune, hope you like it - Latest rotation of tracks just in time for spring 2008. All over the map with a few old surprises, but common thread comes back to giving you something to move to. To access all my playlists go here.

Hey PJ, put a record on

I finally got around to adding a new playlist on finetune, hope you like it - Latest rotation of tracks just in time for spring 2008. All over the map with a few old surprises, but common thread comes back to giving you something to move to. To access all my playlists go here.

Politically incorrect observations from the foodcourt

Just enjoying my Hero Certified Burger (best burger in food court land) in the TD food court and concourse. Stupid really, because it’s nice enough to eat topside today.

I occasionally stop at this food court for lunch when I can’t make the 8 block walk back to the office without refueling. Perhaps it’s because I grab a seat at the concourse-facing bar that I seem to notice a number of clear patterns in this tangible and palpable rat race:

• Ethnic defined cliques are just as prominent in the lunch hour business crowd as there are in the school yard. Perhaps related to this is the corollary that even people of similar height seem to team up for their refueling. A perfect distribution across all races.
• The peacock-like young finance ace is still easy to spot, suite and tie, sharp starched collar, perfect posture with a gait that speaks super confidence. Optional accessories include ear-piece, Blackberry or attractive administrative assistant. Very few sightings of visual minorities in this category. Interestingly, it’s quite difficult to spot the female superstars of high finance with the exception of a few somber toned business suits.
• There is the occasional sighting of a new “couple”, arm-in-arm, or hand-in-hand – couldn't they pick a more romantic spot than a stroll between Druxy’s Deli and Asian Gourmet ?
• Why so few boomer specimens - they haven't all retired yet have they ? It can’t be just the food choices or their old fashioned work ethic. It actually feels like I’m average age or maybe, dare I even say, older than most of the passerbys.
• One child spotted with Dad.
• Surprisingly not too many people talking on the phone or listening to their iPods – perhaps the lunch hour is the last part of the day that remains true to traditional social behaviour – take a break and simply enjoy the company of your colleagues. That being said, I’m sure there are thousands working thru lunch at their desk.
• One laptop user – me.
• Belts laden with Security badges, cellphones and smartphones.
• Large numbers of Tim Horton’s and Starbucks being taken back to the office as the numbers and noise levels become lower (1:35pm).
• Here is another occasion where I’m amazed at the simple fact that there are millions of people in this great city that are strangers. I often have a related feeling getting onto the subway in the morning. It is true that I don’t keep the most regular schedule, but even so, I get on the subway at the same station almost every day, I probably step on to the same subway car most days too, and I only rarely glimpse the face of someone familiar. I think I’m going to lose today’s game of sit-here-until-I-see-someone-I-know-game.

Reason to walk

This morning was the first time I've taken the walk to the subway from home since my accident. Nice sunny (but cold) morning. As I approached Yonge and Eglinton I could clearly hear a familiar tune. Reaching the corner, I discovered the source - Chantal Kreviazuk playing live for a Breakfast (City) TV Maxwell House morning promotion. They we're also handing out complimentary Maclean's magazines and subway tokens. What a nice start for the day and reason to take a walk when you can, you don't know what you're missing on the street !

Exercise those neurons

As a result of getting my news through my new RSS feed, I'm enjoying some new discoveries. A few super-geek finds of late:

• Turning a sphere inside out - visual mathematics.
• A new computer game called Portal.
• The Most Complicated Thing That Humans Have Built So Far!

Resources: Exercising the human brain; what it is and how it works.

Why didn't I do this sooner ?

Do you know what this symbol is ? Maybe you've seen it as you've been browsing the net. It is actually the browser feed icon used by Firefox and IE. RSS is probably one of the lesser known tech acronyms out there. I haven't paid much attention to it over the years, but I keep seeing the symbol or the RSS icon everywhere these days. So I'm thinking that it must be truly becoming ubiquitous (a word we love to use in IT), so perhaps now is the right time to leverage it. So being pretty committed to Google tools these days, I quickly found out the Google Reader is a good RSS reader, so I started using it today. Why didn't I do this sooner ? The news that I care about now comes to me ! Brilliant. I'm just getting to understand all the features, but it looks like when I share a source, it becomes publicly available, so ultimately I now have an RSS feed - cool, oh, oh, and this blog may be a feed too (but it may be hidden). I was looking for the feed for Q Music, but the link on their site wasn't working for some reason. But I noticed that the link was going to feedburner, so I went there and whammo, created an account and I was able to create my own RSS feed for Q Music - super cool.

Shutter

Get the most out of your sports viewing

Hey sports fans. Here is a little something to add some competitive excitement and side story to your sports viewing over the upcoming month and year.

Sports Fantasy Groups.

I've created one for the NCAA Final Four - just go here to sign into my personal group and see how you do against some of our friends.

I've also created one for the Formula 1 season. It's quite a bit more complicated but should be fine. Invites to known fans have gone out, let me know if you want in. I did find a great McLaren video recently that is good viewing for McLaren fans looking for something to get them revved up. All the vids on ITV F1 are pretty interesting too.

You can't take your eyes off this for a second

I'm been having some difficulties in putting together some deeper blog content, but wanted to share this...

I heard "You can't take your eyes off this for a second" twice this week. It was in the context of watching sport and it's no surprise that with the amount of football I'm watching these days, both occurrences were during football games. I bring this up because I heard the following words from my son recently..."I don't like watching soccer very much because there's not enough scoring". I've been battling with North Americans for yeas about the merits of football, but I find my own son has now caught this affliction.

In some North American sports, you can perhaps apply this saying, maybe in the ninth inning of a world series game or in sudden death overtime in hockey. However, I think that because a football game can often turn so quickly, with one brilliant move or horrible mistake, the sport has a greater element of drama, more often. With the amount of goals, touchdowns, buckets or runs scored in North American sports, it's surprising to suggest that so few memorable events happen.

The other contributing dramatic factor in football right now is the amount of important games being played, with 3 cup championships and going into the last few months of the premier league. The next big, and oftentimes very dramatic sporting event here in North America will be the NCAA Final Four. Lots of opportunity for drama, but who am I kidding, there are so few important points scored until the last 2 minutes of the game ! Yes, the excitement builds as the minutes pass by and it's a good chance to observe highly talented and athletic youngsters show their stuff, but no worries if you miss a few quarters.

So, a quick close and mention of the highlight of the week in my books. Arsenal's defeat of AC Milan in the Champions League. Brilliant game, high drama, constant pressure and the game could turn in seconds.