Louis Riel Day

It's Louis Riel Day in Manitoba (the easternmost of Canada's western provinces). Some people think Louis Riel was a traitor -- some think he was the founder of Manitoba, and more important to building Canada than John A MacDonald himself. Either way, it's a great way to heighten interest in Canadian history without yet another high school lecture on the Metis.

Everything I learned about the Northwest Rebellion in high school was presented in ultra-boring memorize-dates-and-names fashion. An annual civic holiday, perhaps alongside mandatory reading of Chester Brown's well-made graphic novel, will do more for aboriginal rights and cultural awareness than any number of ill-made 1960s National Film Board edutainmental reels.

(I love the NFB, by the way, especially for its animated shorts, but all the outdated NFB films they showed us in high school put me off Canadian history for nigh on 25 years.)

Settlers of Catan, et al

Nothing much to say about it at the moment, but I'm really enjoying board games of late.

Specifically, I'm playing Settlers of Catan ( unofficial but cool online version here), Carcassonne (which my wife and I are playing quite often, as it works well for two players, and Blokus.

Hey, don't judge. They beat the hell outta watchin' TV every waking moment.

Demetri Martin quote of the day

Sometimes, people who done tell jokes is funny people.

"A mobile home with a flat tire is a home."

-- Demetri Martin

Demetri Martin quote of the day

Demetri Martin is funny.

"Hot potato is a very different game when the players are starving. Then it's more like 'My Potato.' I've got burned fingertips, but I don't give a damn: FREE POTATO!"

-- Demetri Martin

Demetri Martin quote of the day

I was recently introduced to a New York comic whose one-liners are worthy of Stephen Wright himself. One a day, my friends, one a day:

"They call it fishin', but they should call it what it really is: trickin' and killin'."

-- Demetri Martin

Demetri Martin quote of the day

I was recently introduced to a New York comic whose one-liners are worthy of Stephen Wright himself. One a day, my friends, one a day:

"Saying 'I apologize' is the same as saying 'I'm sorry'. Unless you're at a funeral."

-- Demetri Martin

Demetri Martin quote of the day

I've just been introduced to a New York comedian, who's, well, funny, in a Stephen-Wright-at-the-piano kind of way:

"It's easy to turn any toy into an adult toy: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION."

-- Demetri Martin

Super Bowl XLII

I just don't get it.

Whether Tom Brady and the Patriots make history, or the NY Giants stop 'em in the Super Bowl, I just couldn't give a rat's ass. I mean, these are teams that play fewer than 20 games per season. Sure, any one of the guys on the Pats' offensive line could run a Sherman Tank into the ground -- and they're supposedly five kilos per hulk smaller than the Giants' O-line. But this is a league that routinely sees felons paid tens of millions per year to knock their opponents into the hospital.

Okay, most sports have bad guys. But this is a league that has drug-doping as a side salad to the game itself. Michael Vick is still revered by a lot of fans because he can run the pigskin better than most other quarterbacks, but the guy hid a dog-fighting ring on the property of his mansion. Now the poor baby can't play his favourite game any more. I'm so sad -- I'm sure he'll feel really bad flashing his bling without a weekly sweatfest in front of legions of adoring sheep.

And the whole hoopla of the game doesn't wash. There are entire fan clubs just for the advertisements unveiled during the game. Doesn't this seem odd? People are cheering, rating, and even downloading these commercials.

Don't even get me started on Alicia Keys lip-synching through the pre-game show, which might I mention started several hours before kickoff?

Call me if you can explain this whole thing.