Sometimes, life reminds you that it is good

See what they did there with their hands?

Smell the roses. Cloud watch. Appreciate the sounds of little children laughing and playing. Remember the Great Antonio pulling buses with his teeth. Fondly recall the Habs winning a Stanley Cup or two and how the Expos... no, that last one won't work.

You know what? Just go ahead and sing Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" for the next half an hour at the top of your lungs and enjoy life.

The universe offers up many things to make one smile, and this week, a good friend of mine, let's call him Hawn Oshara, went on vacation and got himself ENGAGED!

Congrats muchacho. No one deserves the happiness, giddiness, and the all-around amazing feeling of being in love and contemplating the years ahead with your partner. Yeah, I'm having a Hallmark moment, so sue me. Seeing your friends happy and fulfilled is one of those happy occurrences the cosmos throws one's way from time to time.

Health, happiness and peace be upon you and your lovely fiancée, Hawn.

Jealous, Jealous Again

envy

Some people get what they deserve. Some people ask for what they end up with. This isn't my wish. it's the way things go. As you make your bed so you must lie on it.
Smokers don't like to smoke alone. Drinkers want a drinking buddy. Bitter and angry people try to ruin others' happiness. And then comes that group of single people, some not all, the subset that want their coupled friends to split up so that they do not have to be bitter and lonely by themselves.

Throw vanity and arrogance and sarcasm and bitterness into a bag, shake it up and you get jealousy and loneliness. All of those terms are interchangeable.
Throw in thick headed and self-important and you might end up with an old maid. Dowager. Life long bachelorette. The kind that needs to get involved in other people's lives, pry them open and stick their noses in. The lecturers who tell people how to run their lives but cannot get their own in order. Those that surround themselves with exes and almosts just to feel good about themselves. The kind that holds a kangaroo court to judge those around them.

The kind that always apologizes but doesn't learn not to open their mouths in the first place.
Look at yourself before you give your bad advice and before you voice your skewed and sad opinions to the world.

Ice Cream!!

Ice Cream!

The hot summer days call for ice cream. So, mid heat-wave, I took my girlfriend for ice cream. She paid. But I took her. With all the different types served at Barry and Ira's or at Ben and Jerry's, such as Choco Chanca Cocoa and Vanilla Striped Banjo, it got me thinking of the worst ice cream flavour idea ever.

Pop Tate's best ice cream

Bubble Gum Ice Cream has got to be the worst idea. Frozen bubble gum? Come on! COME ON!

So I started researching (dreaming up) the worst conceived ice cream flavours of all time.

1. Potato Salad Raisin
2. Matzoh Ball Cookies and Cream
3. Hot Fudge BLT
4. Corn on the Cob Cone
5. Herring Neapolitan
6. Marshmallow Salmon Tartar
7. Wasabi Butter Pecan
8. Eggplant Peppermint
9. Cream of Mushroom
10. Salami Mint Chip

Rufus Does Gum

My friends Cheesy Mike and Joe Bunga used to pull out their guitars and perform. They would also have fun doing covers of TV commercials. Rufus Wainwright follows the same idea in Rufus Wainwright Does Gum.

Rufus Wainwright Does Gum from Rufus Wainwright  

Doublemint Doublemint

The Walking Dead Season 3 Trailer

The Walking Dead Season 3 Premieres October 14th on AMC. The TV series is based on one of the most successful and popular comic books of all time, written by Robert Kirkman, AMC’s The Walking Dead captures the ongoing human drama following a zombie apocalypse.

The series follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln (Love Actually, Teachers, Strike Back), who are traveling in search of a safe and secure home. However, instead of the zombies, it is the living who remain that truly become the walking dead. Jon Bernthal (The Pacific, The Ghost Writer) plays Shane Walsh, Rick's sheriff's department partner before the apocalypse, and Sarah Wayne Callies (Prison Break), is Rick's wife, Lori Grimes.

Additional cast include: Laurie Holden, Steven Yeun, Norman Reedus, Jeffrey DeMunn, Chandler Riggs, Iron E. Singleton and Melissa McBride. Guest stars include: Lauren Cohan, Scott Wilson and Pruitt Taylor Vince.

The Walking Dead Season 3 trailer from Comic-Con. The Walking Dead returns Sun., Oct. 14 at 9 on AMC.

Maggie Walker, The Walking Dead

Michonne, The Walking Dead

Tell Your Vacation Story

Oh those last couple of weeks before vacation starts seem to last forever. The days at work grow longer and the nights feel shorter. I am not referring to the summer solstice. These last couple weeks were especially brutal.

A colleague came back from vacation the other day. Ten days in the sand in the sun with her family. She said it was great to be away, great to forget about work.
With my last few days in the office winding down, I'm trying not to forget to soon.


Last year I made a list of things to do on vacation. Now, with my vacation imminent, the list is short.

• Dentist
• Garage
• Beach

Oh, and maybe vacuum.

Chatham Lighthouse Beach, Cape Code, Massachesetts

This year my passport is ready and I could care less about renovations. Work doesn't suck as much as last year. And, the girlfriend entered the picture. Having a girlfriend changes many things.

No more planning around myself, no more making up my mind on the fly. Now, its making plans with someone. Wow. I finally have direction in life.

Or is that directions?

Here is the complete list of stuff that I may do if I ever get around to it

• Paint my balcony
• Paint my bathroom
• Get rid of old clothes
• Get rid of junk in my closets
• Get rid of old papers

But since I will be on the road for ten of the fourteen days, I don't expect much to be accomplished once vacation is over. I have asked Joe Bunga to watch over the site while I am away. I may still post but will be focused more on relaxing with my girlfriend, and the beach.

Magician's End - Feist's Latest Novel

California based author Raymond E. Feist has announced the release date for his final novel in the Midkemian series, Magician's End. The last book in the Chaoswar Saga, and overall Riftwar Cycle, has been scheduled for the 9th May 2013 in the UK. Which will probably mean a mid-May 2013 release in the U.S. and Canada. Stay tuned to this site as I will provide any news on the upcoming release. And, as always, stay tuned for the review. I publish as soon as I get my hands on the book in May. Check out the newly released book cover.

Raymond Feist's Magician's End

Raymond Feist, the New York Times and Times of London Best-selling fantasy author, has written over thirty books in the series.

Also, Feist's website Crydee.com announced an agreement to put the Riftwar, Empire, Prince of the Blood, King's Buccaneer, and Faerie Tale into ebook format with HarperCollins.

No details yet.

I am sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for Magician's End to be released.

Seal in Concert

Seal in Concert, Montreal, July 7th, 2012

International recording star Seal kicked off his North American summer concert tour in Montreal Friday night, before a packed house. Seal performed some of his most beloved songs, and covers from his two Soul recordings.

Seal

The crowd responded to Seal's exuberant performance spending most of the night up on their feet dancing along. Seal played music spanning his entire 22-year career from his older songs Future Love Paradise and Kiss from a Rose to more recent Lost My Faith.

The husky voiced soul singer was backed by a tight 8-piece band and a terrific lighting show. Throughout the night Seal played the crowd, interacted with fans, with hand shakes and high fives. The 49-year old singer performed and danced with the energy of someone half his age.

The tour is in support of his second album covers, Soul 2, released in November 2011. Seal performed material from that record including Back Stabbers, Love T.K.O., Love Don’t Live Here Anymore, Let’s Stay Together, and a soul medley that included Here I Am (Come And Take Me) and Knock On Wood.

From his 2010 Album Commitment, this is Seal's Secret

The Do Over

Ever wish you could have a 'Do Over'? Tony does.
I want this machine.

Features Amanda Noret, Will Lerner. Created by Justin Smith Shelton, Jason Bradford, Brian Monk.