Well, I finally found a frame to paint a happy birthday sign for my grand daughter. This gold plastic frame (minus the mirror) was $2.... with a little bit of paint, an old map, glitter and a lot of time I had a finished sign! These will get hung somewhere at our pirate party~
This next frame was a .50¢ yard sale find, this is an important sign for any pirate party. Its kinda hard to read in this photo... but it reads "Beatings will continue until morale improves"
truer words never spoken~
I was never much for Mixtapes. My friends had tapes for driving, for being at the beach, for the script they were writing and different ones for the different girls they were dating.
They still do the same with their iPod Playlists or spend a lot of time thumbing the "Shuffle" button. But I've always been monogamous to one album at a time -- at least for one summer.
I think it all started with the Beatles "Rubber Soul" which just so perfectly fit me and the summer with which it coincided. Not every summer since has seen the crowning of a new champion.
It's tough to find a record that has something for driving with the windows open, lolling on the beach and slow dancing by the fire. And in addition to all that, the perfect summer album needs tunes for those moments when you try to put the last year in perspective or get inspired for what you want to do in the months coming up.
That's why most of my buddies had mixtapes. But I've always let some artist do the work of song selection and I've found that singling out one who seems to touch on all my needs is far more fulfilling. In some ways, I think it also leads you to appreciating an artist and their talents even more.
Over the years my summer albums have included "The Lovin' Spoonful", "The Doors", "Rush", "Springsteen", "Wilco", "Shaggy" and "The Jayhawks" (on tour across Canada this summer -- don't miss 'em).
Four years back I blogged about selecting Miranda Lambert's magnificent album "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" as the perfect summer record and look how well that worked out for her -- multiple gold and platinum albums, a fist full of country music awards and married to country star cutie-pie Blake Shelton.
So take my word that this summer's selection is well-worth the listen.
Brad Paisley's "This is Country Music" is as close to a concept album as Country music gets. Although I don't know for certain, I think it was inspired by Paisley's read of the room in which he received one of his several "Male Vocalist of the Year" awards. I'm not sure which one because this guy gets handed trophies so often he's kind of Tom Hanks with a hat.
After one of those shows, Paisley wrote:
"I am so proud to do this for a living. See, country music is unique. It is brave. It is not afraid to deal head on with subjects like disease, death, religion, drinking, family or anything else that qualifies as life. It isn't above its fans. It is about them. It is the soundtrack to my life, and probably yours. As its recording artists, we are given the dog-tags from family members of fans who die in battle for our country. We are there in song at the most impactful moments of our fans' lives. We are loved unconditionally, and we are given loyalty beyond what we deserve. This is country music."
It also feels like an album that took a long time to put together. Paisley actually debuted the title song at 2010's CMA broadcast -- yet the final version only hit store shelves this week coinciding with the release of the single "Old Alabama" which he sang live at last month's Academy of Country Music Awards, joined onstage by the historic band referred to in the lyrics.
That length of time might have been necessary to allow Paisley to share vocals with such artists as Carrie Underwood, Don Henley, Blake Shelton and Clint Eastwood among the many more. Or it might've just taken that long to figure out which well-known riffs, vocal inflections or lyrical stylings would best conjure some of the greatest moments in Country Music.
I guess in a lot of ways, this is Brad Paisley's own personal Mixtape.
But even if you're not sufficiently countrified to appreciate all the nuances, it's a great Summer album. Brian Wilson would be envious of the beach/top down potential of "Workin' On A Tan" or "Be The Lake". There's fun stuff like "Camouflage" and "Don't Drink The Water" and more than a little slow-dance gold in "New Favorite Memory" and "Love Her Like She's Leaving".
My current favorites are -- "A Man Don't Have To Die" which says more about the current state of the economy, religion and political discourse than you'll get from all sides of the media while also including lyrics like:
"There's a place out by the, airport where the girls dance just for you. But all you are is drunk and broke and lonely when they're through."
And then there's "Toothbrush" a song not only about the simple things, but exhibiting how easy it is to do product placement without anybody hardly noticing while giving your sponsor a reason to swell with pride.
I'm going to give you a double dose of "This is Country Music" here. Partly because I wish I could share the whole thing and mostly to exhibit the range of what's included.
Here's Brad Paisley performing the title song from the 2010 CMA Award Show and the new single from April's Academy of Country Music Awards.
Think about making it your Summer album too. And Enjoy Your Sunday.
"Old Alabama"
Well, here we are! And how can you not be excited by this matchup?
Boston, following an absolutely fantastic game against Tampa, rises as the Beast from the East to tackle Vancouver. An original six team that hasn't drunk from the Cup in 21 years versus one carrying the banner of a nation and representing a city that has never even held the goblet.
The stories within the story that will unfold over the next 4 to 7 installments are legion.
Boston Goalie Tim Thomas travels to the arena where one puck took away his dream of Olympic Gold to set things right. In the opposite net, they guy wearing that coveted medal, still feeling the need to prove to some that he deserves it.
Up front for Vancouver, the indescribable Sedin twins, unmatched at their ability at breathtaking playmaking, embodying the speed and sheer beauty of the game. Facing them, names like Krejci, Ryder and Lucic, known as much for toughness and tenacity as their eminent scoring skills.
Monsters like Raffi Torres and Zdeno Chara, who eat pain for breakfast and dish it out for lunch and dinner. Busted heroes like Bergeron and Kessler who simply refuse to quit. And up and comers named Tyler Seguin and Dan Hamhuis that nobody expected to shine so brightly.
This is a series so special that one of Canada's corporate giants has changed its name…
While in Boston, the local Tim Horton's franchises are this morning likely changing their first names to "Nathan".
It's time for the BIG SHOW! And here at the IWHP that means the moment has come to unpack THE SIDESHOW! The annual Props Competition.
But to catch you up first on the feature attraction…
Tim Stubinski would appear to hold a commanding lead. But when you look down the list of which poolies still retain which players, things start looking a lot tighter. And I'm not putting it past any of the first ten names in the standings from coming out on top of the heap.
Your current standings…
As for the rest of us -- and anybody reading this who wants to get into the action, we need to pin our hopes on:
THE PROPS COMPETITION
For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, a little history.
Betting on sports has been around as long as there have been guys who needed to pump up their self-esteem by proving they were right about something. And for centuries money changed hands based on who won or lost a contest. Then Las Vegas and the Superbowl were invented. Pretty soon the smart guys who ran the Casinos realized that while you could make millions on who won a football game, you could make Billions with side wagers.
So Proposition Betting was created to give us sports degenerates an opportunity to blow our money on outcomes nobody in their right mind can confidently predict.
You might be wagering on the coin toss (Janet Gretzky's favorite -- seen here at Caesar's Palace with absolutely non-betting husband and Hockey Great One Wayne) or if a touchdown is made by a player whose jersey number is over 30.
Props are also not one bet options. You need to pick at least a half dozen. The odds of collecting on your bet are infinitesimal. But then, you can't put a price on a good time, can you?
So here's how the "Infamous Writers Pool Hockey Props" works…
There are six bets. All are related to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Some require sports knowledge. Some only require guts! The player with the most correct answers wins. And a special piece of Canadian Hockey memorabilia (currently treasured by Yours Truly) will be awarded to the winner.
Should there be a tie -- uh -- we'll figure that out if there's a tie.
But this contest will definitely not be decided until well after the final game!
Entry is open to all current pool players, everybody who’s been kicking themselves for not getting in on the original action and anybody else who just needs to boost their self image.
Entries must be sent to seraphic77@gmail.com anytime between now and the faceoff of Game One on Wednesday night June 1st.
Your six Hockey Propositions are:
1. The 2010-2011 Stanley Cup winner will be decided in:
a) Four Games
b) Five Games
c) Six Games
d) Seven Games
2. The total number of goals scored in the Final series will be:
a) Less than 20
b) 20 to 30
c) More than 30
3. Boston Goalie Tim Thomas enters the final round with a .929 Save Percentage. Vancouver's Roberto Luongo's average is .922. At the end of the final series, the Highest Goalie Save Percentage will belong to:
a) Thomas
b) Luongo
c) Neither
4. "Hockey Night in Canada" icon Don Cherry always confidently predicts the winner of each game prior to the opening faceoff. For the FOURTH game of the series, he will be:
a) Correct
b) Incorrect
For non-Canadian players -- CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada" is streaming all games at http://www.cbc.ca/sports, usually in more languages than English.
5. The Leading Scorer in the final series will be:
a) Henrik Sedin (Vancouver)
b) Ryan Kesler (Vancouver)
c) David Krejci (Boston)
d) Nathan Horton (Boston)
e) Other
6. The Captain of the winning team is the first player to hoist the Stanley Cup and skate a victory lap. The Cup is then passed to each member of his team. And it's usually passed to someone the player with the Cup feels is deserving. The Goalie of the winning team will be:
a) One of the first six players to hoist the Cup
b) The Seventh to Twelfth player to hoist the Cup
c) One of the remaining players to hoist the Cup
Tough enough? C'mon, suck it up! How often are you gonna get a chance like this?
Although we've got one contender for the Stanley Cup in place, the other won't be decided until tonight. So, I'm making the executive decision to hold off declaring a Week 7 leader until tomorrow morning.
This also increases my Saturday blog traffic which impresses the nice people at Google Ads -- who haven't advertised here since they found the site contains "swears" -- and also haven't told me how to collect all the money they already owe me so I can unsubscribe and move on to working with somebody with a smaller pickle up their ass.
Although I can clearly see they're going to need as much cash as they can get their hands on to pay all the lawyers they'll require for the next little while to handle this morning's Paypal suit.
Professional tribulations aside, tomorrow's post will also include the even more "infamous" Writers Hockey Pool Props Contest -- open to all current poolies as well as anybody who's been missing the fun or thinks the Hockey Gods might be on their side in the coming weeks.
The Game Continues…
Especially for fans of Boston and Tampa tonight. It's shaping up to be a great one!
A vignette on top of my refabed pie safe with shabby chic fabric covering the tin panels.
A pink vintage dress...
I like to buy old yard lights-- working or not, and turn them into fairy houses and place them in my grandkids play yard. These four lights below were .25¢ each. Here are two little cutie-pies....
and two more little pixies....
I've linked up to "How Sweet the Sounds" pink Saturday's linky party. Congratulations Beverly on celebrating your third year hosting "Pink Saturdays" thats a lot of pink!
I drew three identical cars onto some shrinky dink plastic, which I had him color. He loved watching them shrink into tiny plastic "cars"
Here is the game board completed. I printed and cut out all the street signs for him and he glued them in place. We talked about what each sign meant as he was picking them out. We also picked out a lot of small car related toys to use as decorations for the game board. Bails of hay, tires, orange cones and two small figures... one holding a flag to tell them to "go" and one holding a trophy at the finish line.
Here are my two grandkids playing with the "Car-land game" Jonathan made. Look at the camera you guys...
ah, much better. Hmmm is that Jonathan cheating while Chloe is looking at the camera???
After working with him on his project, I finally got around to planting the six rose bushes I bought recently. I love buying plants... but then you have to come home and plant them! Always a catch. I thought I'd share a photo of my sweet cat "Puss-puss" laying in the bird bath I have in my front yard. She really likes water. If I squirt the hose on the lawn, she chases the water stream all the while getting soaked. She's a love~ 
If you want to understand the roots of "Western Alienation" look no further than the online pages of this morning's Toronto Star compared with the local papers from Winnipeg to the Left coast. The Sports pages to be specific.
While much of the nation basks in the glow of Vancouver's win over San Jose yesterday afternoon, the Star features minor hockey and more sophisticated fare like soccer and the French Open.
Nothing to see here…
Forget yet another wave of Olympic proportioned national pride sweeping in from the Pacific region. Ignore 5000 ordinary Canadians who flew South, not to retire or try their luck in Hollywood; but to stomp out a round of xenophobic booing by singing their national anthem so loud they even drowned some Opera Rube with a state of the art speaker system.
Yeah, I know there are probably just as many Canadians playing for San ("No Way") Jose as Vancouver or Boston or Tampa. But that's not the point.
The point is -- when other Canadians are good at something -- why is it so hard for some people in Toronto to celebrate it?
I mean -- just forget that they're the center (sorry, "centre") of the universe for just a minute and acknowledge that the rest of the country and even some of those people who never heard of Peggy Atwood or sipped a perfectly pulled Guinness on Queen Street West might actually be making a contribution as well.
At the mid-point of the country, there are Canadians who don't even have a hockey team (yet) on pins and needles with excitement at the prospect of getting one. What does the Toronto Star feature? Editorials on the NHL short-changing folks in Atlanta.
Well -- tough. Okay, I feel for Atlanta. I was overjoyed when Nashville saved their team and even cracked a smile when Phoenix found yet another way to hang onto theirs. But when you don't have fans -- you don't have fans. It's time to move on.
And while it's tacky that the Thrashers are still selling tickets for next year, I'll bet Winnipeg would be more than happy to have 5000 Atlanta die-hards drop by anytime they damn well please to take in a game. Western Canadians are hospitable about things like that.
Hell, I'll bet the "Paris of the Prairies" will even welcome the Thrashers cheerleading "Blue Crew" with open arms.
Them Georgia Peaches are hot enough to warm up the coldest night at Portage & Main. And if you don't believe me, you might want to buy one of their 2011-12 calendars. I don't think they're going quite as fast as some might want you to believe.
So -- Toronto -- I'm just sayin'. I know not having a decent hockey team for so damn long sticks in your throat and it's hard to start bleeding a little green (or Thrasher orange) along with the blue. But would it hurt to try?
Honest, those Western fans are nowhere near as Red-neck-y as you may have been led to believe.
Meanwhile, in the Infamous Writers Hockey Pool, the leader board hasn't changed but the differences have become tighter.
Tim Stubinski still leads.
My apologies to 2nd Place Will Pascoe for confusing his Vancouver picks as Sharks last week. He remains powerfully astute as always. I'm thinking that if he pulls off yet another win, the prize I mail him will be a ticket to Vegas where he'll be chained next to me at a Craps table and consistently blowing on the dice.
Alex House remains in the hunt with Carleen Kyle now only a point shy of the podium.
Game 5 in the Boston-Tampa series goes tonight. And despite what Don Cherry preaches, I've always thought Game 5 was the most important in any 7 game contest. How things go tonight could well determine which poolies remain in the overall hunt and who is done for the season.
But remember, "done" doesn't mean "like dinner" here at The Legion. With the finals comes "The Props Round" where the winning can be just as sweet.
Until Friday -- here are your current standings.
I love how these turned out. I'm thinking about leaving this up all summer long~
I also finished turning the "Woody" pinata into a Pirate pinata.
Then I made two purple people eaters... one fat, one skinny-- don't ask....
Back to pirate stuff... I then painted a sign that reads, "Absolutely No Swashbuckling" Which for you land lovers means "no fighting"
It took a bazillion coats of white paint. The board is extremely textured, with long grooves and ridges, so the paint didn't flow easily. Although, I do like the end result :-) I'm glad I didn't chuck it out when I realized just how much work it would take to finish it! This is just a smidgen of the things I've been working on lately, only 20 more days left until our big yearly 3-day pirate party. Eeeeeeeeeeeeek..... I better get offline and get busy!!! Yo-ho-ho me hearties!
Great artists are always looking for something new and exciting and innovative to prime their creative juices.
Among two of my favorite film artists are director brothers Ridley and Tony Scott, who, between them, are responsible for some of the finest films in contemporary cinema.
The older of the two, Ridley, has given us "The Deullists", "Alien", "Blade Runner", "Legend", "Thelma and Louise", "Black Hawk Down", "Hannibal", "Kingdom of Heaven", "American Gangster", "Body of Lies" and "Robin Hood". Each so unlike the others they could be mistaken for the work of a completely different director.
Tony Scott's films include "Top Gun", "Beverly Hills Cop II", "The Last Boy Scout", "True Romance", "Crimson Tide", "Enemy of the State", "Spy Game", "Man on Fire", "Deja Vu", "The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3", and "Unstoppable". Again works less known for a specific directorial style than their individual cinematic impact.
In addition to their films, both brothers are widely known for their documentaries, commercials, music videos and producing the hit TV series series "Numb3rs" and "The Good Wife".
That would seem enough to keep most artists busy. But last year the brothers took on Youtube's innovative "Life in a Day", a documentary incorporating footage shot by YouTube users from around the world on 24 July 2010.
And now they are behind USA Network's equally innovative The Character Project.
The Character Project, is an artistic initiative in which talented filmmakers were commissioned to create short films exploring unique American characters through the moving image.
It's the kind of project that not only entertains and unearths new talent, but inspires other artists and shows what a TV network committed to building an audience can accomplish.
Here's a sample. Enjoy your Sunday!
Ooops! Apparently this week's offering plays improperly in some bowsers. So find it here -- and then check out some of the others!
Well, they couldn't pull the clip off youtube fast enough. CBC immediately removed it from their online repeats of the game -- and apologized. Apparently some "in-house" camera over which they had absolutely no control.
And both the Canucks and the NHL issued statements "appreciating" fan enthusiasm -- but hoping it would be displayed more "appropriately" in future.
Gawd, it's the playoffs! Get over it and enjoy the fun!!!
As far as I'm concerned the young lady in question was merely reminding a dim-wit knuckle-dragger like Ben Eager, in terms he might understand, that Vancouver now has TWO and his team don't have ANY!
That could change in San Jose tonight, but I wouldn't count on it. Eager's complete meltdown and Patrick Marleau dropping the gloves are all the proof you need that the Sharks have run out of ideas and are now fighting not only a better opponent but their own long history of playoff choke-fests.
Joe Thornton, ask for a trade. You might've taken the rap for this organization for too long.
Across the continent, Boston has returned with avengeance, although it seems not as many viewers are watching those games. Could it be that "Canada's team" are winning over some of the opposition fans…?
Although this guy better be careful. The NHL is already asking a Montreal bar owner to give them $89,000 for hanging a Montreal sweater in his joint under a banner saying "Go Habs Go". And he's messing with TWO registered trademarks.
Who knows what the NY Office has in mind for these guys -- rooting for an NHL team that (according to the League) doesn't even exist.
Sigh. Can you imagine what hockey will be like once the corporations, marketing execs and lawyers COMPLETELY own it?
Arenas so quiet (and empty) that you can get some reading done during the game. Designer sweaters that change every season to maximize that revenue stream. "Hockey Night in Canada" with endless features about kids on frozen country ponds while Dan Hill sings in the background…
But by that time, those of us who just want to have fun will all be watching Lingerie Football instead!
Won't we?
Or --
Spending more time checking out our Pool Standings. Where…
Tim Stubinski has jumped to a commanding lead (based mostly on last night's Boston shutout, but still). Will Pascoe, in Second, is hoping his Lightning begin to strike back. And down in Third, Alex House is beginning to wonder why he found Joe Thornton so fetching to begin with.
And me -- 54 points back -- is thinking I maybe need to get back in the edit suite.
More Monday -- after a lot more great hockey and hopefully a lot less from guys in suits who think they need to run things.
Game On!
A couple of things worth passing on crossed my desk this afternoon. The first was the current issue of New York magazine featuring insights into making television from a coterie of exceptional showrunners.
The second was an essay by Roger Ebert on Hollywood's "Summer of the Sequel".
The third was a video about cows.
And, although you might not think they have much in common, they do.
I grew up around farms and ranches, cowboys and cows, pit BBQ's and rodeos. I eat meat and I love it. And I know where it comes from and how it gets to my plate.
Most of the people I knew and know who farm or ranch have a great deal of respect for the animals in their care. They value them and appreciate their worth as both a livelihood and a way of life.
The bucking stock in rodeos often leads a better life than the boys who think they can ride them. I've seen farmers go without so a herd can get the food, medicine or shelter they need to survive.
These animals are raised by people who don't have much time for those who'd be cruel to a "dumb animal" or would harm it in the name of making a slightly bigger profit.
After I left the land, I spent most of my time around theatres and studios, writers and directors, producers and actors. I make television and I love it. And I know where it comes from and how it gets to my flat screen.
Most of the people I knew or know who make television have a great deal of respect for the products of their industry. They value them and appreciate their worth as both a livelihood and a way of life.
A lot of the people who work in television lead a softer life than the showrunners who employ them. I've seen producers and writers pull all nighters and single day page one rewrites so their crews and actors can have the pages and plot twists and depth of characters they need to make a decent show for their audience.
Those shows are created by people who don't have much time for those who'd be cruel to a "dumb idea" or would harm it in the name of making a slightly bigger profit.
But the worlds of ranchers and showrunners have changed of late. Both have been invaded by bean counters bent on wringing every last penny of profit out of the process of making movies, TV shows and steaks.
And in the process, they are costing us the humanity that made all of these enterprises ultimately uplifting and respectable and worthy.
We now have "factory farms", movies without drama and television schedules that reflect as much caution as creativity.
Yes, there are still great shows on TV, but they seem relegated to niche channels in the way truly innovative films are shuffled off to art houses.
And yes, a rancher with a small herd he cares for can still make a living. But he'll never get a shot at the best pasture land or the guys who appreciate a good steak.
Among the many fine quotes in the New York feature is one from "Sons of Anarchy" showrunner Kurt Sutter:
"Stop making decisions based on research data, and hire development executives with degrees in art, literature, and theater instead of marketing, business, and law. If people followed those two rules, TV would be a fuckload better."
And among the many wonderful insights offered by Mr. Ebert is:
"As the leadership of many studios is taken from creators and assigned to marketers, nothing is harder to get financed than an original idea, or easier than a retread. The urge to repeat success can be found even in the content of modern trailers, which often seem to be about the same upbeat film. Even The Beaver, with Mel Gibson battling mental illness, is made to look like a hopeful comedy with a cute stuffed animal."
And as for the cow video -- the looks on the faces of the rescued calves says it all. This is where the desire for profit certainty is taking us
Trust me, I identified.
I've seen those same expressions on the faces of far too many talented and creative people in the last few years as our industries become more about the deals and less about what's being dealt to the audience.
Something to think about the next time you "Take a Meeting" or meet a development executive over a steak.
Toldja we were getting to the good stuff!
The conference finals are where the stars begin to shine and everybody on the ice realizes they're just four wins away from going to the big show.
Tampa's Young Guns exploded! Boston realized that the all-star goalie who got them this far is going to need some help! Vancouver found its passion for playing hard and nobody can ever call San Jose's Joe Thornton a quitter again.
We're in for some great hockey!
But I'm busier than a cat trying to bury a turd on a marble floor this week, so this report will have to be bare bones. Hopefully I can offer more by Friday. If not, I'll post a note and a link and you can get the full treatment over at Uncle Willis' place.
However…
Stubinski still leads with Pascoe and House close on his heels.
More on Friday. Game on!
