Transformation

A chill came over me, creeping down my body from head to toe and a shudder hit me like a wave rolling under my skin. Little bumps appeared on my skin as I clenched, contracting every muscle in my body in an attempt to remain warm. The fetal position. The music was still going from last night and I could hear Simon singing rhythmically into space. Or was it Garfunkel? Hard to tell when you're fighting to stay warm and you're stomach is growling louder than the street noise outside. With sleep in my eyes and a growing urge for sustenance, I made a move. Standing, I stretched long and felt a stirring inside. A shiver hit me again. This time it dug deep and hit me at the core. My head felt light and a dizziness came over me. I felt a crack in my skin. My chest. It was tight and began splitting open. I looked down apprehensively, fearing what I might see. As if instinctually I grasped either side of the diverging chest cavity, I let out a rooooaaaar and my outer shell hit the floor. I stepped into the light. Holding arms our on front of me, I looked long and hard at my new form. Over night, from closing my eyes to that waking morning chill, I had transformed and now stood stronger, more resilient and ready for the next phase.

Riding a bus in Central America

In certain parts of Central America, countries use old Canadian school busses as their public transportation. You know the ones. The yellow school busses you see in elementary school parking lots. You probably rode one to school at some point in your life. I met an American in Costa Rica that said his father ran a business that sold old rickety yellow school busses to countries in central america. They were everywhere and were usually a two-man operation. The driver just did his thing. He drove the bus and handled the music. The second guy stood at the door and took care of the flow of people on and off the bus. The music bumps and so do the seats. Check the Canadian "Blue Bird" somewhere in Nicaragua below.

Like a truck.

My stomach wrenched in pain that night. I was lying in bed and couldnt bear the dagger-like jabs in my side anymore. I sat up, in defeat, and threw the blankets off of me in disgust. I knew what I had done to myself. Hunched and worried, I took only a few steps before I was in the washroom. My pants hit the floor and I was crouched and ready for the worst. I gripped the sink and a nearby ledge. My legs shot out like canons, and as if I was in battle, I dropped a spray of napalm into the bay below me. Waves crashed, people fled for their lives and I coated the bowl of porcelain. The pain in my stomach seemed to ooze away just as the oozing itself came to a crashing halt. The wipe was treacherous and bountiful. A tree's life and my dignity died that night. The flush was even more anxious. I watched in anticipation as the swirl swallowed my droppings. No plunger needed, thank god. I washed my face and gazed at myself in the mirror. "Three double cheeseburgers after the bar, really?" Shameful. I dried my face, sucked in my gut, and headed back to bed. Sunday morning never felt so good.

George, John, Paul and the other guy.

Formed in 1960 in Liverpool, England, The Beatles never could have imagined what successes lay ahead of them when they made that historic appearance live on the Ed Sullivan Show February 9th, 1964. With 70 million people looking on from their households, The Beatles, undoubtedly the true kings of pop music, sang five songs in order: All My Loving, Till There Was You, She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There, and I Want To Hold Your Hand. Instant American stardom and the birth of Beatlemania. Four handsome foreigners with accents and catchy tunes were always going to be a success in America, and the heards of screaming girls told us so. But The Beatles had substance. Lennon's lyrics on war and revolution transcend time. With Paul too providing song writing inguinity and George Harrison, the unsung hero, The Beatles truly were a powerhouse band. So why when I watched Late Night with Jimmy fallon a couple months back when Ringo was the musical act, did I think I might be entertained? Certainly Jimmy Fallon, and The Roots' drummer Quest were giddy for the chance to hang out and jam with a Beatle, but I didnt share the sentiment. His band, no doubt was amazing. Ben Harper and the Relentless Seven have such a beautful sound, but once Ringo opens his mouth to sing, I want to shudder. I get that same nail-down-a-chalkboard feeling where I want to hop out of my skin. The Other Side of Liverpool, his new single has a good sound. But thank Ben Harper and his Seven for that. Honestly, his singing is unforgettable, but only because its so damn forgettable. Huh? Doesn't make much sense, does it? Well neither does loving this mans' current music conquests just because he was 1/4 of one of the greatest bands of all time, in which he played a very very minor role in. With all due repsect, the talent severely drops off after Lennon, Harrison and McCartney. So who is the other guy? Its the guy who sings Yellow Submarine in the band The Beatles. A classic song. A legendary band. The Other Side of Liverpool and Ringo Star's solo act? Not so much.

Budding Leafs

Tonight it felt good to be a Leaf fan. I remembered that feeling of pride and joy from deep down within while watching a team win. My team. Beating the Ottawa Senators and breaking their 11 game win streak couldn't have been more satisfying. Take that Alffy. You hitting Tucker from behind years ago in the playoffs and burying that game winning goal top shelf still hurts. But tonight was a different story. The '09/'10 season has been abysmal for leaf nation to say the least. As a team, it just hasn't clicked the way Brian Burke had hoped for. The way Toronto hoped for. Tonight though, perhaps with Burke and his family in mind, the leafs played an inspired game of hockey. They seemed to have that little extra step tonight. So many factors seemed to work in our favour tonight. We had an injection of youth in Chris Hanson and Tyler Bozak, and they seemed to set the tone, as everyone in a white sweater was flying around the ice tonight. Luke Schenn who scored a pair of similar goals down the right wing looked great. I was talking before the game with a friend about concerns over Schenn and his developemt but hopefully tonight may jsut have been the confidence this kid needs. Not only did he have a 3 point night, but he played a solid game. Him on the boards late in the 3rd winning a battle and keeping the puck in the Senators zone summed it up for me. Then there was Kessel. 2 dingers and the Leafs first 20 goal scorer of the season. The anticipation late in the 3rd to see if either he or Schenn would complete the hat-trick was giddy-ish. A feeling I'd to keep on Saturday nights. And then there was J.S Giguere. The Leafs out played the Sens so he wasn't too troubled, but when he was called upon, he certainly answered. He saved his best save with seconds to go when it appeared as though Ottawa was going to break the goose egg but Jiggy remained focused and made a slidding save with anxious viewers looking on. Back to back shut-outs in his new home of Toronto will have the city buzzing with allusions of Eddie Belfour, who too began his career in Toronto with a shut-out, and like Giguere, appeared as though his better days were behind him. Tonight though, tonight was a good night. Our super star put in 2. Our young defensemen appeared to find a groove. Phaneuf played solid. As did the youths. Gigeure picked up the SO and most important of all, we beat the Ottawa Senators. Overall a great night to be a Leaf fan.