Gorillaz featuring Bobby Womack and Mos Def - Stylo
Published March 21, 2010 @ 12:00 in Videos

videoThe first video I want to share in the post-SLS era is this gem from the Gorillaz. The song features Mos Def and Bobby Womack while the video features Bruce Willis.

Smells Like Sour: 1999-2010
Published March 21, 2010 @ 11:14 in SLS ~ Smells Like Sour

sls11 years is a very long time for anything web-based. That's why it's with a great deal of sadness that I announce the Smells Like Sour (SLS) franchise has died a natural death.

SLS was a "hypothetical" collection of new tunes that we "released" twice a calendar year. All editions of SLS consisted of 20 songs the SLS committee deemed to be the best new music since the previous instalment of SLS. We "released" new editions of SLS around Canada Day and Christmas Day. The last one, #22, came out New Year's Eve 2009. The last song nominated was Metric's "Gold Gun Girls" back on February 8, 2010.

SLS was a labour of love. In the beginning, I'd come up with the 20 songs I liked, my buddy Mark would come up with the 20 songs he liked, and we'd meet at a Tim Hortons and negotiate. I won a few battles, and I lost a few battles. I still hate that Andy Stochansky song!

Back in the day, fantastic discussions took place at http://www.smellslikesour.com/, but then life and work and other priorities got in the way. That site's been badly neglected for years, my buddy dropped out of the SLS process a while ago and I haven't been feeling it since my favourite radio station turned me off.

22 editions over 11 years is a pretty good run. I'm going to keep the SLS Song Database online and, from now on when I hear a tune I dig, I'll just blog about it.

Smells Like Sour: 1999-2010.

I Know I Was Born and I Know That I'll Die
Published March 20, 2010 @ 13:08 in Miscellaneous

treeThe in between is mine.

Eddie Vedder wrote that lyric for "I Am Mine", a song from Riot Act. "I Am Mine" tops my list of 20 songs for my funeral, I like it that much. When all is said and done, you're born and you'll die. It's the in between that belongs to you.

I don't spend a great deal of time thinking about my death. It's inevitable, but I'm hopeful it's many decades down the road. I do know, however, that I'm not immortal. I will die.

I was just reading about the turritopsis nutricula species of jellyfish. It may just be the world's only immortal animal.

Since it is capable of cycling from a mature adult stage to an immature polyp stage and back again, there may be no natural limit to its life span. Scientists say the hydrozoan jellyfish is the only known animal that can repeatedly turn back the hands of time and revert to its polyp state (its first stage of life).

jellyfish

I'm no jellyfish. I know I was born and I know that I'll die. The in between is mine.

5 Years Ago Today, I Wrote About My Game
Published March 20, 2010 @ 10:39 in Toronto Maple Leafs

leafsThink back upon all the Leafs games you've attended over the years. Which was your favourite?

Five years ago today, I wrote about My Game. This game took place over twenty years ago, but it remains my personal fave.

I attended the last Toronto Maple Leafs game of the 1980s. I have the ticket stub to prove it. I attended the game on December 30, 1989 with my buddy Joe and it remains to this day the most entertaining game I've ever seen live. This is the story of my game.

The first 37:09 of play was dismal. In fact, we had brought a megaphone and began heckling our beloved Leafs. After one defensive lapse, we anointed a particular blueliner "Al I-Afraid-Of-The-Puck". The Leafs trailed the Boston Bruins 6-1 at this point and with only a few minutes left in the second we were literally playing the funeral march. We knew our limitations and overcoming a deficit of this nature against a far better team wasn't going to happen. Furthermore, prior to this game, the Leafs were 1-16-1 when trailing after 40 minutes. Conversely, the Bruins were 12-1-1 when leading after two periods. To make matters even worse, the Bruins had won six in a row against us.

This is when my game becomes legendary. After Vincent Damphousse scored to bring us within four, Gary Leeman began the unpredictable rally at 4:59 of the third. Only a couple of minutes later, Luke Richardson scored to make it 6-4. It was at this point that we began to believe in the unbelievable. Could we? Would we? Ed Olczyk brought us closer to this realization when he banked the puck in off Stephane Quintal behind Andy Moog. It was 6-5 and the blue and white express was in full effect.

I think it would have been extremely painful to have lost this game 6-5 after trailing 6-1 so late in the contest. Thankfully, I knew we'd complete this unprecedented comeback. I knew we had a couple more rabbits in the hat. Eddie O came through again on a break away to send my game into overtime. The Leafs could actually win this game they had no business being in. I was ecstatic, beside myself, in complete disbelief. I didn't want to tie the Bruins in this final game of the 1980s, I wanted to beat them.

With 1:41 remaining in the extra period and after Al Iafrate made a great play to keep the puck inside the blueline, Wendel Clark whacked home the winner. The Toronto Maple Leafs had defeated the Boston Bruins after trailing 6-1 late in the second. My voice is still sore from screaming after Clark's goal. It felt as if we had just won the Stanley Cup.

There were 16,382 of us there that night, but nobody left Maple Leaf Gardens happier than I. I had just witnessed a miracle that I'd never forget.

December 30, 1989 - Maple Leafs

Find the Sleeping Schedule of Your Twitter Friends
Published March 19, 2010 @ 19:44 in Twitter

twitterYes, there's an actual website that promises to tell you the sleeping schedule of your Twitter friends. You can try it now at http://www.sleepingtime.org/.

Their algorithm "will determine the approximate sleeping schedule based on the time when he or she stays least active on Twitter".

Naturally, I put in my Twitter username to see when it thinks I sleep.

sleep

Not bad... I'm more of an 11pm to 7:30am guy, but midnight to 6 are definitely my core sleeping hours.

10 Post-Olympic Break Leafs Games
Published March 19, 2010 @ 17:35 in Toronto Maple Leafs

leafsI had quite the iron man streak of Maple Leaf recaps going. I had written a recap of every Leafs game since the start of the 2003/2004 season until Brendan Burke passed away. I couldn't find it in me to recap that night's game.

Post Olympics, I had another problem. There's now been ten games since the Olympics and I haven't written a single recap. I think I'm done with recapping Leafs games this season.

I've been watching, though, and following. The past ten games have actually been quite entertaining, and we've won six of them, including two against those hateful Sens. It's clear to me that my recaps have been holding us back, even though we did win one playoff series during my recap era, although that was against the Senators and probably shouldn't count.

We've got the team I love to hate, the Habs, on Saturday night, and I might be talking about it on Montreal sports radio Sunday night. We'll see if they can meet my hefty salary demands.

I'll just close this recap of my lack of recaps by saying Phil Kessel can score. He's at 27 and counting. Brian Burke's no dummy.

And oh yeah... Go Leafs Go!

2010 NHL Playoff Pool
Published March 19, 2010 @ 17:02 in Hockey Playoff Pool

Lord Stanley's CupMy favourite time of year is quickly approaching. The NHL playoffs are mere weeks away. That also means it's time for our annual playoff pool.

Draft day is April 12. Here are the official rules. Here's a peek at previous drafts:

If you know me in the real world, and you're interested in participating in this year's draft, please contact me and I'll give you specifics. This year's pool promises to be the best yet.

In Praise of Unseasonable Warmth
Published March 18, 2010 @ 16:39 in Toronto News ~ Toronto Focus

SunThe kids are off school this week, enjoying their March Break. I thought that would make this the ideal week to avoid the office. I took a week off to sleep in and chill with the family.

It's the middle of March, and I haven't worn pants all week. That's right, I'm enjoying an unprecedented pants-less week in March.

It hit 19° today. They're expecting a high of 18° tomorrow. I can do this. I can make it the entire week without pulling on a pair of pants once.

weather

Make no mistake about it, this is indeed epic.

Fess Parker, Dead at 85
Published March 18, 2010 @ 15:51 in Celebrity Death Watch

In MemoriumFess Parker was 85. He was the actor who played Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone.

I came within a Y chromosome have having a son named Daniel Boon.

martinstreek.com: Help Me Get It Back Online
Published March 18, 2010 @ 13:17 in Martin Streek Remembered

mouseMartin Streek took his own life last July. As you'll see from the 214 comments over there and the many other entries in my Martin Streek Remembered category, Martin was a wildly popular radio deejay in this city, enjoyed by all who heard him and beloved by everyone who met him.

With the one year anniversary of his death coming this summer, I'm disappointed www.martinstreek.com is parked by the host. That typically means the domain name owner hasn't paid and instead of making the domain name available to anyone, the host eNom is holding on to it, hoping the owner will wisen up and pay up. Here's what martinstreek.com looks like right now.

martinstreek

It's possible Martin was the only one with the login details that would ensure we keep his site online, or it's possible someone reading this entry knows who can help with this. If you can help me get Martin's domain name, I'd love to put up a tribute to him at martinstreek.com. Please contact me.

Help me get it back online.

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