Vacation update

Winnipeg is cold and wet.

On vacation!

Headed out on vacation for a couple of weeks. Posting will be pretty light to non-existent.

Darth Vader dances

OK, that was awesome.

It's 5:22 a.m., and I'm sitting in my office drinking coffee

And I just felt like sharing that. Cuz that's what social media is all about.

Sunday afternooon humor

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Preach it, brother Dave!

Lesnar backlash brims with double standards - UFC - Yahoo! Sports

There have been 61 fighters in Ultimate Fighting Championship history whio were pro wrestlers at one point or another. There are nine on the current UFC roster. Of the six fighters in the UFC Hall of Fame, three – Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn and Mark Coleman – dabbled in wrestling.

But UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is the only one vilified for it.

Sunday afternoon humor

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Brock vs. Fedor!?

Dana White says Fedor Emelianenko will fight in the UFC, Brock Lesnar fight imminent | MMAjunkie.com

"This Fedor thing has gone on and on and on," White said in the post-UFC 100 press conference. "Eventually, Fedor's going to be here. I want Fedor. I want him to come to the UFC and everything else.

"This guy (Brock Lesnar) just won the heavyweight title, and we'll end up getting that deal done. And then we'll do Brock vs. Fedor, and it'll be a huge fight."

How soon could we such the fight?

"Who knows," White said. "He's obviously contractually obligated to fight (with Affliction). Once that's over, we'll figure it out."

The sport of Brock Lesnar

Good showing for Brock last night, and a pretty good night of predictions for me. I called all the winners, and got two of the three outcomes almost exactly right. I'm not sure what was more satisfying: seeing Michael Bisping get knocked into next week, or watching Frank Mir's face get repeatedly jackhammered by Brock.

UFC 100 is going to be huge

How huge?

Well, here's the top end keyword analysis of the last 500 hits on my website. It's almost all UFC 100 related.

Num Perc. Search Term
drill down 30 8.60% ufc 100 edmonton
drill down 24 6.88% ufc 100 calgary
drill down 12 3.44% ufc 100 in edmonton
drill down 12 3.44% where to watch ufc 100 in calgary
drill down 11 3.15% ufc edmonton
drill down 11 3.15% where to watch ufc 100 in edmonton
drill down 8 2.29% edmonton ufc 100
drill down 8 2.29% edmonton ufc
drill down 5 1.43% where to watch ufc in edmonton
drill down 5 1.43% ufc 100 edmonton bars
drill down 4 1.15% where to watch ufc 100 edmonton
drill down 4 1.15% ufc schedule edmonton
drill down 4 1.15% EDmonton bars showing ufc fight
drill down 4 1.15% ufc 100 in calgary
drill down 4 1.15% ufc 100 picks
drill down 3 0.86% ufc 100, edmonton
drill down 3 0.86% calgary alberta ufc 100 bars
drill down 3 0.86% Watch UFC 100 Edmonton
drill down 3 0.86% watch UFC 100 calgary
drill down 3 0.86% ufc 100 edmonton bar
drill down 3 0.86% where to watch ufc 100 in alberta
drill down 3 0.86% edmonton bar ufc 100
drill down 2 0.57% ereader for ipod nano
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 pay per view edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% "UFC 100" calgary
drill down 2 0.57% where watch ufc 100 edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 in edmonton alberta
drill down 2 0.57% where to watch ufc 100
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 ppv edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% UFC where to watch edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 edmonton ab
drill down 2 0.57% ufc in edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 calgary locations
drill down 2 0.57% edmonton bars ufc 100
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 edmonton ppv
drill down 2 0.57% calgary bars showing ufc 100
drill down 2 0.57% ufc pay per view edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% edmonton ufc 100 showings
drill down 2 0.57% UFC 100 Time in alberta?
drill down 2 0.57% where can i watch ufc 100 in edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% edmonton ufc ppv
drill down 2 0.57% what time is ufc 100 in edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% watching ufc 100 in edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% watch ufc 100 in edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% WHERE CAN I WATCH UFC 100
drill down 2 0.57% locations showing ufc100 in edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 where in edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% who is playing UFC 100 in Edmonton?
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 ppv calgary
drill down 2 0.57% where to watch UFC 100 calgary
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 calgary bars
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 ppv calgary locations
drill down 2 0.57% ufc ppv edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 watch edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% ufc pay per view edmonton area
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 start time in alberta

UFC 100 picks

Here's my entirely non-scientific picks for the three main events of UFC 100. I'm going to do this two ways: my "heart" pick (what I hope to happen) and my "head" pick (what I think will actually happen).

Check back late Saturday night for an opportunity to laugh at my lack of prognostication abilities.

Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir for the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship
Heart pick: BROCK SMASH LITTLE MAN!
Head pick: BROCK SMASH LITTLE MAN!

Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves for the UFC Welterweight Championship
Heart pick: GSP by submission in second round
Head pick: GSP squeaks out a five-round decision

Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping
Heart pick: Henderson by knockout in round one
Head pick: Henderson by split decision

The Letter Black

I discovered this band today - The Letter Black (formerly Breaking the Silence). I'm digging the Evanescence vibe they've got. More on the band, including another song, on their MySpace page. (But, seriously ... who still actually USES MySpace?)

Breaking the Silence "Stand" Music Video

Where to watch UFC 100 in Edmonton and Calgary

My (semi) regular post on where to find a bar to watch the UFC 100 PPV. The link is here.

UFC 100: We're Just Getting Started

I loathe beer. I love chocolate.

So what am I supposed to think about chocolate beer?

Sunday afternoon humor

Well, now you've gone and done it

I'm enabling moderation on the comments effective immediately, after some profanity-strewn comments were made overnight on an old post.

Sorry, but a few rotten apples spoiled the bunch.

A service fee complaint that is not about Ticketmaster

I just bought a ticket to the Downhere/Building 429 concert in Edmonton at the end of August. The company handling the tickets charged me a $3.50 "service fee" and a $2 "handling fee" (which together added approximately 50% to the price of the $12 ticket). That was bad enough, but then I paid $0.57 to have the ticket mailed to me. Umm ... $5.50 in extra charges, and you can't swallow the cost of a stamp?

Celebrating Canada Day at the Alberta Legislature

From Canada Day at Alberta Legislature

From Canada Day at Alberta Legislature

From Canada Day at Alberta Legislature

From Canada Day at Alberta Legislature

From Canada Day at Alberta Legislature

From Canada Day at Alberta Legislature

From Canada Day at Alberta Legislature

From Canada Day at Alberta Legislature

From Canada Day at Alberta Legislature

From Canada Day at Alberta Legislature

From Canada Day at Alberta Legislature

Some random thoughts:

• We got there just as the 21 gun salute started. I should regain my hearing by Canada Day 2012.
• The marching band was excellent. They started their 30 minute set playing the national anthem (O Canada) and then followed it up with the other national anthem (The Old Hockey Night In Canada Theme).
• The line to get into the Legislature was enormous. There were thousands of people out.
• Believe it or not, despite working in the Legislature, I'd never been in the chamber before. I made sure to snap a picture of my boss's seat.
• People are awe-inspired by the Alberta Legislature. It's a beautiful place.
• The dog show was tremendously fun. The kids had a blast.
• Next Canada Day, if you want something to do, go to the Legislature!
  

Happy Canada Day!