Sunday afternoon humor

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I know her!

Heels, not hoodies: cycling goes high style

On a recent night at the opera, Sarah Chan, 34 weeks pregnant, glowed in a simple black dress, cheerful green cardigan and red heels.

I post this from the Edmonton Journal because Sarah Chan taught both my kids piano and is a supercool person, and I just wanted to share that.

And check out Sarah's blog: Girls and Bicycles.

The coaches for the next season of Ultimate Fighter are ...

Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans.

Umm ... what?

New recipe weekend

While I did spend a lot of the weekend outside (walked more than 8 miles, which was good), I also used some of my time in the kitchen trying a couple of recipes.

The first was for a cold-brewed coffee concentrate that my older daughter absolutely loves because she can mix it with milk, freeze it, and make her own Tim Horton's style iced cappuccinos. I mix it with Coke Zero for a drink that tastes remarkably like the late, lamented Coke Blak.

The other was a recipe I've had forever but never tried for my grandfather's home made BBQ sauce. We mixed up a half batch which made more than we'll use in several years, but it's really, really good - nicely acidic with a kick. We used Coke Zero in it instead of beer, which was an absolute upgrade.

Sunday afternoon humor

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Rashad Evans embarks on a new career

Where to watch UFC 98 in Edmonton and Calgary

My (semi) regular post on where to find a bar to watch the UFC 98 PPV. The link is here.

Guys ... leave the toilet seat up while you have the chance

Men on path to extinction, Australian researcher says - Posted

Sure men have their flaws. No one is perfect. But Australian National University professor Jennifer Graves sees a time when males no longer exist in the human species.

Dude, It's always Saturday in space

Dude, It's Always Saturday in Space
Newswriter to whole room: I've always wondered something. When they say the space shuttle is returning to earth on Saturday, is it also Saturday in space? Or do you think it's a different day up there?

Gainesville, Georgia

Overheard by: not sure what i'm doing here
via Overheard in the Office, May 18, 2009

Here's a quarter, call someone who cares

I received an e-mail from Amazon.ca this morning saying that because of their pre-order price guarantee, the shipment I received from them yesterday had dropped in price after it was shipped, and I'll be getting a refund of 27 cents. Presumably mailed to me in cheque form at a cost to Amazon of considerably more than 27 cents.

EDIT: It turns out Amazon is going to credit my credit card for the 27 cents. That makes much more sense than sending me a cheque. Hey, it's free money.

I know there's an IPhone app for just about everything

But, seriously, how often are you going to need to read an MRI on your IPhone?

Back from mini-vacation

Here's some brief clips from the weekend - Waterton National Park, Cameron Lake and Red Rock Canyon. Plus one of my semi-patented self-portraits.

On (mini) vacation

I booked a vacation day along with the May long weekend to get away for a few days. So my lack of posting will likely continue for a while.

Paying more to save money

I received an e-mail from Amazon.com a week or so ago telling me that Wrestlemania 25 was available for pre-order for just $19.98, which for a 3-disc DVD set, is quite the deal. Of course, that's $19.98 American, but these days that's still only about $22 Canadian, so it's still a good deal.

I checked Amazon.ca, and it was an even better deal, as the Canadian price on the DVD was a shade under $33. I was saving $11, even factoring in currency conversions.

So, I placed my order through Amazon.com ... and lo and behold, the $11 spread vanished in shipping charges. Suddenly, my $20 DVD was nearly $31 US, which after currency conversion, became more expensive than the highly-marked up Canadian version.

In the end, I pre-ordered the DVD through Amazon.ca, because after adding a book I was planning to buy anyway, I got free shipping.

Wacky.

I feel jittery, and anxious ...

FT.com / MARKETS / Commodities - Shortages stir coffee and sugar prices

Caffeine addicts face higher prices for their daily fix as the wholesale cost of both coffee and sugar rise sharply because of poor crops and robust demand.

Sunday afternoon humor

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Announcement - The Newsroom to stop posting on Mondays

Due to tough times in the blogging business, I have decided to stop posting on Mondays in an effort to conserve resources.

.... nah, just kidding. Unlike a certain other business.

"Buy and hold" isn't always the best investment advice

Conrad Black: The end of the road for GM; a new path for Chrysler - Full Comment

In 1953, when I was eight, I had life savings of $60 and invested them in one share of General Motors Corporation. It was the greatest company in the world, and the slogan “What’s good for GM is good for America” did not rankle even on the left. The fishtailed Cadillac was rivaled only by Rolls Royce as the greatest automotive trademark in the world, (German products such as Mercedes Benz still being encumbered with the opprobrium of the recent war).

Over many years, the stock split 3 for 1, and rose from about $80 to $240 for my 3 shares, four times my initial $60 investment. I kept the shares for sentimental reasons, and they are now worth about 10% of what I paid for them 56 years ago.

And how was your night?

I was woken up at 2 o'clock this morning by the Edmonton police helicopter hovering over our house, shining its spotlight into a yard several doors down, where police were searching a backyard with flashlights. I have no idea what that was about.

Needless to say, I'm a bit tired this morning.

UFC 100 poster

Tremendous.

Random NHL franchise relocation question

If the future of the Phoenix Coyotes is up in the air (and it is, including reports of them being purchased and moving to southern Ontario), would it not make sense for the NHL to, you know, offer the team back to a Winnipeg buyer, first?

As a former Winnipegger, I'd love to see the team that was once the Winnipeg Jets before relocating to Phoenix back in the NHL as the Winnipeg Jets once again.

Mike's Mini Music Review: Newsboys - In The Hands of God

I have a general rule for albums: If there are three good songs on it (read: three songs I really like), I don't regret the purchase.

By that standard, the Newsboys' brand new album, In The Hands of God, is a fine purchase, as it passes my general rule, with a minimum of three songs that I'll listen to lots. The title track has been a big hit on Christian radio, and as I've written about before, it's a song that really surprises you with the way it builds. My Friend Jesus is a rather amusing ditty about - wait for it - being on hold with tech support. No, really. But that's what makes the song work - it pulls something profound out of something so mundane. (It's a song that I'd expect to hear Relient K or Stellar Kart sing, actually.) Lead Me to the Cross is a pretty powerful worship oriented ballad.

The rest of the album? Eh ... it's a decidedly mixed bag. Dance starts out really well, but the chorus doesn't work for me. The Way We Roll is just OK. But The Upside is kinda nifty - kind of a throwback summer song that you'd play with your windows down.

Worth picking up if you're a fan of the Newsboys.

Question about Oilers trade record

So ... considering the Kevin Lowe/Craig MacTavish era, how many of the players Lowe traded to other teams ended up winning the Stanley Cup after leaving the Oilers?

Just wondering whether Ales Hemsky should be demanding a trade or not.

Two years on ...

I realized today that May 1 marked two years since I started working for the Government of Alberta and left journalism behind. I have absolutely zero regrets. None. I love what I do, and I'm having a blast.

Sunday afternoon humor

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Best. Submission. Ever. - Inverted Triangle