John Gushue . . . Dot Dot Dot

I find your lack of syrup disturbing

Star Wars pancake molds? Oh, yes, I think we'll definitely have a look at those. In our house, with an 11-year-old who thinks pancakes are heaven-sent and a running love for Star Wars humour, it's a bit of a no-brainer. 

Spotted here. 

The mini-statues of Disneyland

There are plenty of little quirks and features in Disneyland, which we observed during our trip there in June. Some of them are in this set of tiny bronze statues, which form a circle around a much more famous statue called Partners, of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. I was impressed by just how much detail there was. Click through for Nick playing around with Donald Duck! 

Be generous

"The manner of giving is worth more than the gift."
- Pierre Corneille

House By The Sea

This is a tune that fits the rainy, overcast mood in St. John's this morning. It's from the band that will always have a problem fitting into a marquee, Tim and Sam's Tim and the Sam Band With Tim and Sam. 

Me and the Devil

True Blood has a certain way of ending each episode: a dramatic moment or a big reveal or a subtle tease, and then straight to credits with an evocative song playing underneath.

This past week's episode was a cover of Me and the Devil by the Gil Scott-Heron, who died just a couple of months ago. The tune is from Scott-Heron's 2010 album, the ironically named I'm New Here. A great song.

Crocodiles

"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile hoping it will eat him last."
- Winston Churchill  

 

 

Out on the edge of the CN Tower

Toronto has been buzzing about EdgeWalk, an attraction on the CN Tower (right on top of the restaurant, to be precise, or 375 metres up), in which participants can be tethered to the tower, and able to lean back ... right on the edge. 

It's not cheap. It's $175 for a ticket, and you have to meet specific requirements involving your health, for instance, not to mention your sobriety. (It's good to know they check!) 

I don't know if I'd be game to try it out. It would certainly be unforgettable. EdgeWalk formally opens on Monday. Expect to hear more. 

Thanks to Barry for the pointer to this video. 

Thinking about scooter

Not Scooter, with a capital-S, the clipboard-toting Muppet who informed visiting celebrities they were due on the stage in so-many seconds.

Nope, I've been thinking about something like this.

It's a bit of a pipe dream, especially when I put some real thought to it. The upside would be an economical way for me to dart back and forth to work, particularly with shifts that do not necessarily blend well with the family agenda. The downside? Well, this is St. John's, where winter can be indefinite, where it often rains (even just a little on a great, great many days) and where the hills are not something to ignore.

But the thought is there, at the back of the brain, percolating away.

 

All the best, Jeff Gilhooly

It was a bit of an emotional morning at the CBC plant in St. John's this morning, as Jeff Gilhooly anchored his last episode of the St. John's Morning Show. Jeff, who's been with the show for a decade and who came to St. John's in 1990 to co-host On The Go, is taking a well-deserved retirement. [Click here for a piece on our website, including some video of Jeff's last show.]

Jeff is a real gem. As many of his colleagues indicated on the air today, he's a consummate professional: calm, confident and able to handle what flies at him. This is pretty impressive with a three-hour live radio show, where things can and do go wrong, where surprises happen (it's called the news) and where you need to be alert and ready to adapt.

Jeff has been all those things. He's been a pleasure to work with, and to know, and it won't be the same without him in the building.

I think the picture above from this morning shows Jeff using one of his great skills: the ability to listen, and to pay attention. He didn't miss much, and one of his legacies (I've told him that he's been a great influence on a whole generation of broadcasters) is showing how listening is as important a tool for interviewing as knowing how to field a question.

Jeff won't be far, and I know I'll see him around, at the very least at the Duke for a pint.

All the best, Jeff, with whatever you choose to do from hereon in. And do get in touch electronically when that home system of yours is set up!

Glass and steel

This is Scotia Centre in downtown St. John's ... as you would see it if you tilted your head waaaaayyyy back.

 

Sultans of Swing

From January 1978, when Dire Straits were so new that Mark Knopfler could not even afford a new T-shirt. 

This is a performance for the Old Grey Whistle Test. 

My City Was Gone

A kicking bass line (from Tony Butler, then playing with Big Country), a cry against suburban sprawl and tight production from Chris Thomas, it's one of the standout songs from 1984's Learning to Crawl. Chrissie Hynde at her best. (The music may be familiar in the U.S. as the theme for Rush Limbaugh's radio program; I wouldn't be inclined to often put Hynde, a notable animal-rights advocate, in the same company with Limbaugh, but there you go.) 

As for the video ... this is what a 45 looked like, kids!

Glowing leaves

The other night I noticed that the light of the sun as it started setting was striking the leaves in just the right way. In the movies, it's called the golden hour: an all-too-brief period when the light really seems kind of golden. I stopped to get a snap of the leaves over my head.

The Ron Swanson paper doll

This made me laugh, almost out loud too. Ron Swanson is one of my favourite characters on television at the moment. As played by Nick Offerman on Parks and Recreation, he's the government manager who despises government, the gruff, emotionless man who plays tender saxophone for the ladies, and the champion steak eater who gets his groceries at Food 'n' Stuff. 

Find out more about the paper dolls, one of a series, right here. 

In the meantime, let's pay a visit to Food 'n' Stuff! 

Knotty, knotty

I love birch trees.

A good thing, living where I do. The place is filled with them.

The rules

"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun."
- Katharine Hepburn

 

The Muppets poster

Maybe it's because the Muppet Show was a favourite when I was growing up, or maybe it's because I can do a reasonably good impersonation of many of the Muppets (right down to the "Hey-ho" for Kermit), but I'm hoping The Muppets, the forthcoming reboot with Jason Segal, is more than just decent. I want awesome.

 

The planets

Nick made these while he was at an Easter camp this year. I thought it was, as crafts go, quite the successful project.

The pen

There are lots of things I love about St. John's, including the fact that the province's main correctional facility sits side by jowl with some other landmarks, particularly Quidi Vidi Lake and the old Anglican Cemetery. Her Majesty's Penitentiary is doubtless in need of an upgrade, but it's never bothered me in the slightest that a prison sits so close to the hubs of everyday life. 

Hold On, Hold On

One of the best tunes (so far) from Neko Case.

Principles

"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them ... well, I've got others."
- Groucho Marx

 

Do you know someone who's brutally honest?

"People who are brutally honest get more satisfaction out of the brutality than out of the honesty."
- Richard J. Needham

Galapagos rhythm

Is there a natural way and sway to life on the Galapagos? You may well wonder.

A T-shirt with a little of the old ultraviolence

A T-shirt, available from Out of Print Clothing, which presents a Penguin version of Anthony Burgess's novel from the early Seventies, notably after the Kubrick film.

 

On the pond

I took the camera with me as I headed around Quidi Vidi Lake last night for a walk; it's always great to see the teams out at this time of year. TIme is now getting tight, with the Regatta just over a week away. 

I made this short video with my point-and-click camera.