My buddy Dave White sent me this from one of my favorite writers Dave Barry. I don't care if you think Dave is unhip or old school(Barry not White-although White is pretty hip.) I have always liked Dave Barry cause his writing makes me laugh out loud. Which is rare when it comes to something I've read. Anyway this is dang funny and good information for those us who will one day be over 50 years old. For me that is 569 days away but who's counting. Me that's who.
This colonoscopy story was first printed in the Miami Herald back in February but through the magic of Web 2.0 I bring it to you today.
Enjoy.
Dave Barry: A journey into my colon -- and yours OK. You turned 50. You know you're supposed to get a colonoscopy. But you haven't. Here are your reasons:
1. You've been busy.
2. You don't have a history of cancer in your family.
3. You haven't noticed any problems.
4. You don't want a doctor to stick a tube 17,000 feet up your butt.
Yes I am virtually powerless when it comes to my girls. They are my favorite things in the world by far and when I'm not with them I practice saying "No!"
"No honey, you can't have a sleepover. Oh well maybe you can."
"No sweetheart, we're not going to get a dog. On second thought, sure."
"No baby, daddy can't give you a ride to the mall. Aw, why not, come hop in the car."
Recently my pal Dean from Hamilton sent me an article that says that all this Daddy/Daughter love is actually good for the girls. I know it's good for me. Attentive, loving fathers mean confident daughters She went on to give her theory that women in healthy relationships -- the kind built on trust and love and mutual commitment, as opposed to the kind built on drama and need and jealousy and greed -- are often those who had very attentive, loving dads. Dads who went to the soccer games and the piano recitals. Dads who were always watching, constantly validating. Dads who said: "You're smart. You're pretty. You're amazing. Your heart is big."
Is this not one of the strangest long/not long weekends ever. Very Canadian though. Some of us got the Monday off so we had a 3 day weekend, some worked yesterday and are off today and some of us took all four days off and had long long weekend. Yes something for everyone in that quirky Canuck way.
Today is the stat though and I'm going in to work. I'm posting a couple of videos for a Microsoft conference and in Seattle neither of these days is a holiday.
At least I'll get a break on the traffic.
So Happy Canada Day and heres hoping that it doesn't rain like it did almost every freakin day in June.
And here's hoping we figure out the Canada day stat before next year when it falls on a Wednesday!
I'm sure most of you have noticed production around here has dropped considerably. I'm sorry, it's just that the real world has conspired to interrupt my drivel production.
The drivel just don't flow like it once did.
I thought I'd just give you a quick update as to what is keeping me busy these days.
In the last week I've...
Spent 14 hours over three days recording an audio book. Kinda cool.
Worked on, met with, wrote and performed for a companies AGM. Very cool.
Worked at my Producing/Directing job and prepped for a shoot.
Spent endless hours driving back and forth.
Spent many joyful hours watching my girls play soccer.
(Watched a little golf. Just a little.)
Put the finishing touches on 6 months of prepping and helping to organize the LKTYP golf tournament.
And to top it all off, my oldest has a soccer tourney this week in Bowmanville, the youngest has her drama recital thingy, I'm going to Seattle Thursday and back Friday (hanging at Microsoft headquarters....very freaking cool)...I'm hosting the Kids theatre golf on Monday, Tuesday I may be going to Austin Texas and back in the same day and Wednesday it's Charlie's grade 8 grad.
So I'm having a hard time squeezing in time for the Hhdotcom.
I promise this though, things are going to calm down this summer in some ways and I should have more time to jot down the odd inane thought. I know one thing, I'm going to have lots to write about.
This is my 14th Fathers' Day.
I have 2 girls with boys names and they are both Daddy's girls.
I know this will sound sucky but I always tell them that because they are so sweet and kind and beautiful, everyday is Fathers Day. (Awwww.)
This is also my 2nd Father-less Fathers Day and I must admit the sadness of it has subsided.
When I first lost my Dad it was a sharp, constant pain that I wasn't sure was ever going to go away but now, not quite 2 years later, it's faded.
Every once in a while I get a bit of pain that comes out of nowhere and catches me by surprise but for the most part I'm okay with it.
I connect with my Dad through golf. So many of my memories of him have to do with learning, watching and talking golf that I can't even pick up a club without thinking about some tip my Father gave me over the years.
Watching Tiger is part of that. My Dad was a big Tiger fan and I know he would have loved seeing him play this weekend.
So today, I'll sit and watch the Open, the girls will leave me in peace (my Fathers day gift!) and I'll think of my Father and all the Golf we used to share.
Happy Fathers Day.
I've never seen anything like it.
I've been watching Tiger Woods play since the 1995 US Amateur, seen some remarkable things but this was definitely one for the highlight reel.
He's hobbling on a bad knee that even he admits is getting worse every day, he hasn't played in 2 months and he's leading the US Open. Are you kidding me?
That's what they were saying last night when he sank a 60 foot putt for eagle, not to be confused with the goofy chip-in for birdie and then another eagle on the last hole.
He has never lost with the lead in a major but I'll tell you something, I don't care if he wins anymore.
I don't.
He has already provided me with enough thrills and excitement and if he coughs it up or can't close today I won't care.
He is without a doubt a the best player to come along in forever and I will be watching him until he can't play anymore.
He not only has more heart and more stones than any other golfer but he's among the most phenomenal athletes of our time. Don't believe me, ask Michael Jordan or Roger Federer.
If you watched the prime time coverage you have to agree.
He starts by making a double and a bogey in the first 4 holes and instead of quiting he fights back.
Then he starts to put pressure on his knee and almost collapses in pain but finishes 4 under the last 6 holes.
Finally with the whole golf-world waiting he drains 2 ridiculous putts and once again meets and exceeds the already high expectations.
Anyone but Tiger would have thrown in the towel but today he has a chance to win major number 14.
I saw the new Indiana Jones movie this weekend when I needed a break from swimming and puttering and drinking and more swimming.
The Crystal Skull deal was more than okay it was in a word, satisfying. I liked it just fine thank you because it had all the elements that I was expecting and it delivered all the Indian Jones moments I knew were coming.
Thanks George Lucas and Stevie Ray Speilberg for not letting me down. Now I wasn't blown away by any means but if you loved Jones 1-3 you'll like this one too.
Last night I watched The Natural for about the umpteenth time (No pun intended) and I still dug it. For a movie that was produced in 1984 it holds up nicely and is still in my top 15 sports movies of all time. It was directed by Barry Levinson and features a young, somewhat hot Glenn Close, a really hot and young Barbara Hershey(80's Vagenius!) and a cast of heavies including Robert Redford before he got his weird chicken neck, Wilfred Brimly, Richard Farnsworth, Joe Don Baker and a young Michael Madsen before he was in Reservoir Dogs.
If you haven't seen it or haven't for a while check it out.
Strange that Raiders of the lost Ark was released in the early 80's just before The Natural and here we are nearly 30 years later and Indian Jones is still going strong. Although I couldn't imagine revisiting Roy Hobbs in any incarnation other than the time portrayed in The Natural.
Yes I get that one is cartoon and one is a fantasy but it just struck me how The Natural is still watchable and the only way I'm going to watch Raiders/Indiana Jones again is an updated 2008 version.
A supplement to Wired magazine. Geekipedia is a must-read for those of us who are on the outskirts of Geek/technology. By that I mean, we have a computer, we use the internet, but we aren't really that aware of all the people, places, trends and ideas that are floating around in the Geek-world. And there are plenty.
Most of the stuff we've all heard of but may not know many details about. I've heard of Nick Denton but didn't realize all the sites he was responsible for. He's runs a blogger empire even bigger than Toronto Mike!
I had however not heard of Dark Matter, DRM's or Darknet.(Check out all the D's.)
I found this entry on internet Radio particularly interesting. The Net lets even the smallest broadcaster stream audio to listeners anywhere on earth — hence, the flowering of garage DJs, global megastations, and next-gen music outlets like Pandora and Last.fm. But Internet radio also runs squarely into one of the most barnacle-encrusted bastions of old media: copyright law. The latest point of contention: Should webcasters — like their antenna-wielding cousins — be required to pay song-by-song, listener-by-listener royalties in every country they reach? In the US, fees are set by the federal Copyright Royalty Board. Earlier this year, the three-judge panel helpfully tripled the rates, setting off protests and legal battles. Internet radio may not use transmitters, but it still causes static.
Check out the rest of Geekipedia and then come on back. (This is called Crowdsourcing. Basically tapping the hive mentality of the net to work on a project or problem.)
Hey gang, it's your friendly neighbourhood Toronto Mike here.
The Humble One is sunning at an undisclosed location (it's not Moose Jaw) and he will return to his semi-regular blogging schedule next week.
In the meantime, might I suggest you wander over to my Humble & Fred category page where you'll find dozens and dozens of very interesting Humble and Fred-related blog entries by yours truly. Read about the recording of the podcasts, the day I flew Humble's plane and other timeless and priceless gems.
Last week I shot and prepped 2 videos including the biggest studio shoot I've ever directed.
4 actors, big crew, big studio, lots of clients.
This week we're posting this thing and it's long hours and all hands on deck.
I'm sorry I haven't been able to stay in touch.
Have a look at the ACME site and check out our new blog and take a gander at the ACME demo.
Spencer has a pink water-proof cast.
Last week she broker her wrist and now, after the swelling went down, she's got a cast. Thankfully it's not going to be more than a couple of weeks before she can go back to soccer.
Which is both good news and bad.
Finally.
Very few TV things are a surprising as this.
I was as shocked as The Cook man. I was sure Archasquinta was going to win because he was going to suck in the granny vote. As in "Aw he's so cute and harmless and tiny..."
But David Cook was always going to be a star and is in fact what the show is all about.
Finding the American Idol.
Archie will have a fine career cause he's an amazing singer but I must tell you I was blown away.
Watch DC's eyes as they announce his name.
Funny, no one was more surprised than Cook himself.
are talking about?
What the hell?
How can that be?
I thought that Right Wing commentators weren't just blow-hards who think they have the moral high ground just because they are louder than everybody.
This Right-Wing ass walked into a buzz saw on hardball the other night and it was pathetic.
Pleasantly pathetic.
Really really busy.
I would love to drop you all a line but I've been the Running Man.
We've bid and won a big job at ACME recently and I'm in the middle of prepping that while shooting another.
Video that is.
In case some of you don't know I direct and produce Corporate videos. Some TV stuff too.
Anyway I know I've been lax in the Blog-Babble department but it's been ridonkulous around my life lately.
Yesterday I was in Brampton shooting at one location by 7:30 then off to Barrie for the rest of the day, followed by several hours of prep for this gig that we're shooting Friday.
Dang this having a real job is like work! And this is a job I love.
I'll post a few tid-bits if I can.
I've said this before I (nor most Radio nitwits) had no idea how lucky I was to intro records for a living.
My pal Mitch L sent me this bit of blubbering-inducing material.
It's a great story of sportsmanship and an insight into why athletics are so good for all kids.
Stay with the video for the whole thing and make sure you tell your co-workers you've got something in your eye.
I'm directing a video this morning, then I'm in the office, then I'm on the road for a couple of days.
I know I know, what will you do with out my insightful postings and YouTube videos?
You will cope.
As Moses says Stay Calm, Carry On.
I'll check in Wednesday afternoon if I can.
Drive safe and let's be careful out there.
I am Soccer Dad.
I basically exist to drive my girls to and from Soccer.
It has taken the place of Flying and Golfing.
I will get back to those things someday but in the meantime I give you my Soccer Dad weekend. Friday night: Race home pick up youngest Daughter and race to exhibition game in the wind and the rain. Other Soccer Dad tells me, "Only sissies use umbrellas!"
I'm bewildered by the use of the term "sissies!"
Game ends we head home to get some sleep. Saturday morning: Wake up at 6:15 to get youngest Daughter to 7am practice. I have to leave early so I can drive oldest Daughter to a tournament.
Other Soccer Dad says, "What are you a part-timer?" I'm not even sure what he means but I say, "Umbrellas are for sissies" in an effort to confuse him. Saturday: Drive oldest Daughter to Oshawa for tournament. Watch 2 games and then drive home in tsunami. Sunday: Wake up at 6:15 to drive oldest Daughter back to Oshawa for one game and then back home. Other Soccer Dad yells so loudly he short-circuits my central nervous system.
All in all it was a fine time filled with too many Tim Hortons visits a lot of laughs and some interesting new information.
Apparently Real Men are impervious to the rain, only sissies use umbrellas and the above schedule only qualifies me for "Part-Time" Soccer Dad status.
This began in Colorado as a schools project to start conversations about students futures and to begin looking at shaping a vision for the years to come.
It has since started millions of conversations around the world.
It was originally called Shift Happens and this is version 3. Did you know?
Interesting. For more go here.
Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People is a group that I volunteer with.
(Used to be called YPT. Ah now you know what I'm talking about!)
I've been on the board of directors for three year and I must say it's been an amazing experience.
The staff, the people and the work.
They do amazing theatre for young people and we're getting some nice press for a play about Meth addiction called Cranked.
This is from a recent article in the Globe and Mail. As Cranked opens, Stan, a young hip-hop MC, is comparing the slow, lumbering zombies of old movies to the speedier ones of today's horror flicks. To him, the modern running undead seem more realistic: "When you crave flesh ... When it is the sole thing in the universe that you can focus on and you want it as bad as your next breath of air? Oh yeah, you will run."
LKTYP does plays for kids of all ages and obviously Cranked isn't for your 5 years-old. But it's perfect for your teen or soon to be.
Check out the rest of the article here and for more info and tickets go here.
Thank you.
Al Wilson was an 70's R+B singer who had a hit with Show and Tell. He was 68.
A lot of people wouldn't remember it but for me it was a tune that I played a lot when I first got into Radio. (1977-CHAB Moose Jaw).
It was part of bunch of tunes that were particular to that decade that I never hear much anymore.
Boz Scaggs-Dirty Lowdown, Leo Sayer, Heart-DreamBoat Annie, Doobie Brothers-Blackwater and On and On -STepheh Bishop.
So here's a little show and tell and after a bonus 70's blast from The Brothers Johnson.
Shadenfraud is a German word to describe "enjoying the suffering of others..."
Leave it to them to have just the right word for that.
I bring it up because that's all Leaf Fans seem to have left. Shadenfraud over the Senators loss and subsequent ousting from the Stanly Cup playoffs.
That's too bad.
Yesterday I wasn't able to blog here but I was a busy commenter over at Mike Boons joint and his entry Happiness is a Sweep of the Sens!
How sad I thought. If ever there was a fan base that couldn't afford to throw stones at anyone it would be the Leaf Nation.
But there they are talking all sorts of trash.
This was from Mikes original entry:.....It's a fantastic feeling, but it makes me nostalgic for the days we used to knock the Sens out of the playoffs. It seems like yesterday I wrote this entry after we ousted the Senators in 7 back in 2004. We met the Sens in the playoffs 4 times in 5 years and took 'em out every single damn time. Sweet, sweet memories...
I wrote back: Are you high?
Sweet sweet memories?
Please.
At least Ottawa has done something the Leafs haven't in 4 years- make the playoffs and uh weren't they in the Stanly Cup finals last year?
Sure they sucked and lost but at least they were there, the Leafs just sucked and lost and went back for more sucking and losing.
Trish then chimed in:Last year I went to a few ottawa blogs and heckled them. This year I'm going to spare them the embarrassment. So the Leafs didn't make the playoffs, but there's nothing worse than going down in four straight... :D :D :D :D
I countered:"There's nothing worse than going down in 4 straight!"
Yes there is. It's not making the playoffs for 4 years and not being in the Stanly Cup finals since Sargent Pepper was a new release.
Holy crap. Figure it out Leaf fans Toronto is the laughing stock,not Ottawa. Why? Because your team is so God awful that all you have left is hating another team and the sweet memories of beating them in the playoffs. The playoffs you haven't been in sine the early part of this century.
And on and on it went. Frightening really if it wasn't so hysterical. I just don't get how Leaf Fans are so blind to the fact that Ottawa, as sucky as losing four straight and crapping out in the regular season after a great start is, it's still better than not making the playoffs and not making it to the Cup Finals since 1967!
But try as I might I can't get through.
This was from the last comment: We've only been reminded by the likes of howard that the team's performance has been lousy. But those proud of their team's under achievement are laughable, because evidently they don't grasp the goal of hockey, which is an ultimate one. There is no trophy for second place, or sixteenth after all.
Funny huh? A Leaf Fan talking about the "Under-achieving" and the "Ultimate goal!" Christ in a hand-basket don't these people hear themselves? Shadenfraud gone wild.
Since I introduced this word a couple of weeks ago I've had quite the reaction.
Vagenius a word I coined to describe smart, hot women who have that "librarian" look has been taking off.
Tina Fey, Lisa Loeb, Mary Louise Parker. Mike Boon wrote about it and changed the spelling. I like it. Originally I spelled it Vag-i-nius...but Mike
spells it Vag-enius and I liked that better.
Makes sense? Hot chicks/smart. Vag-Genius. VaGenius.
So there you have it.
Today's VaGenius-Pamela Adlon.
She's a tiny, hot, smart, little number with a filthy mouth. She was in that clip of Lucky Louie I posted yesterday (check it out below) and recently she was in the show Californication and was most excellent-and a little dirty.(Not such a bad thing.)
This is a cool sitcom that aired on HBO for a while and is now on The Movie Network.
It's stars comic Louise C.K. and is not only funny but dirty-funny.
Heres some Wiki-info... Lucky Louie is an American television sitcom about a family headed by Louie, starring Louis C.K., and Pamela Adlon. It premiered in the United States on HBO on June 11, 2006. HBO ordered 12 episodes of the series which aired during the 2006 summer season. In addition, eight scripts for a second season were ordered.[1] In September 2006, however, HBO announced that the show had been cancelled.[2] This cancellation was unusual because it was not related to ratings, as the show steadily built in ratings, and had a supportive fan-base. More likely, it was the result of a poor response by critics and press, which HBO feels are important to its image. In Canada, Lucky Louie can be seen on Movie Central on Sunday evenings at 9:30pm PT and on The Movie Network at 10:30pm CST.
Yes I know-Tiger's sucking but it's only Saturday...
Okay, I get it. Thanks Thom R for the e-mails updates yesterday as Brandt SnerdlyRacket or whatever his name is, beat Tiger and is in second after 2 rounds. Yes I have the internet and TV too!
It's hard to explain but the simple version is this. Tiger hit it crap, got some bad bounces and anyone else would have shot 76-76 and missed the cut.
TW is -1 and is only a halfway' decent round away from being in contention. Don't bet against it.
Also the leaders Trever Immelman( who's got a ridonkulously good swing) and Brandt SnidelyCracker are going to be feeling a little tightness today that they are unfamiliar with.
It's supposed to be cool,windy and chokey out there today so a Tiger Woods 69 or better could go a long way. We'll see.
Good on Mike Weir, he's hanging in and if not TW then it's always cool seeing Mikey play well.
Here were my predictions from Thursday and the (actual #)
Prediction-first round score
Tiger 71(72)
Weir 73(73)
Phil 69(71)
Guyyou'veneverheard of 68(68+69) (That would be Trever My Swings too-Freaking good for words and Brandon SneakerCaller!)
Favorite Masters e-mail from Alison. I'm pretty sure you won't see this for days but...love watching the Masters every year, I also am a huge Tiger fan, really, how can you not be? Just remember when your girls are older to not let them have their weddings on Masters weekend...I had unknowingly booked my Dad's golf club for my wedding on Masters weekend and my Dad said if I still wanted him to pay the bill I had better pick another date...I think of that and laugh every year at this time...
Now a little Golf fun for everyone.
Happy Masters.
....declares April Tina Fey month. Check out this article from Rob Salem. I am telling you this chick is funny and sexy and cool. Her show 30 Rock is the can't miss Thursday night comedy for a variety of reasons-the writing, the cast and the guest stars. Seems like a familiar formula that most shows can't get right.
If you've never seen 30 Rock you won't believe how good Alec Baldwin is in it and after a couple of weeks and you'll be hooked.
I also figured out why a lot of guys dig Vaginius Tina Fey. It's the glasses. We think aw, yeah she's all prim and proper but when those glasses come off....
Don't pretend you don't know what I mean.
This past week I caught up with a few flicks. Some good, some the Dewy Cox story.
Let's begin then shall we.
I was in London, Ont earlier in the week and I watched a flick on the Spank-0-Vision. I wasn't in the mood for Hotel porn which is pretty expensive when you figure you only need like 5 minutes of the movie.
So I ordered Walk Hard, The Dewey Cox story. I wanted to like it. Really I did. I like a good stupid movie, probably more than the next guy, but this wasn't funny-stupid, it was just stupid-stupid.
Although I will say John C. Reily was good as always but that was it. Oh yeah the chick from The Office played his wife and she has nice boobs. This was produced and co-written by Judd Apatow, the guy who's done the funny-stupid movies, Talladega Night and Knocked-up so I was expecting more. All I can say is give it a miss when it comes out on DVD and Blue Ray tomorrow.
This weekend I took my daughter Spencer, (Aka-SpenJamin Franklin, Spengi, Spen-Francisco)
to Horton Hears a Who and dang it all it was pretty good. This Horton fellow is one remarkable Elephant who can not only act up a storm but apparently does his own stunts!
Lots of laffs and merry-making from Jim Carey and Steve Carell and Carol Burnett. (She is an evil Kangaroo. Yes she is.) If your an 6-11 year old or the parent of one them critters, I would highly recommend it. Or if your high, it might be fun too.
Finally Lou Schizas and myself hung out like men and went to a Guy-Movie. First we ate raw fish and drank scotch and beer and then we saw The Bank Job. I liked it pretty well. It stars Jason Stathom and it had that cool English Snatch/2 Smoking Guns feel with a little Heist thrown in for good measure.
Jason Stathom has quickly become the U.K. Bruce Willis without the smirk. He's been good in a lot of great movies as well as decent in some stinky ones.
The Bank Job is based on a true story and it's definitely the kind of movie your girlfriend or wife won't want to see. Although it's not super-violent, it's got a pretty good plot and the accents aren't so thick you need subtitles. (Snatch?) I also recommend Scotch and Beer as a way to make any movie better.
Please enjoy responsibly.
...I remember.
I was thinking about David Spade the other day but I can't remember why.
This happens a lot when you start getting older.
"Uh, I think I'm hungry, but maybe I should wait for supper, I'm not sure what I'm in the mood for...oh yeah, I wonder what David Spade is doing these days?"
He's hosting something on Comedy Central called The ShowBiz Show and he' s still really funny. And short. But tall when it comes to the funny.
Have a look.
This bit is called "BlackBerry Intervention"
Just a couple of things that have been rattling around inside my big empty head.
Tim Hortons is selling roast beef sandwiches. I don't know but something seems wrong about that.
Yes I like their egg-salad and chicken wrap offerings but roast beef doesn't seem like the kind of thing that Timmies should be messing with.
I mean egg-salad can be made by some part time kid in grade 12 but roast beef isn't the type of thing that should be handled by someone in a hair net between drive through orders.
While I'm talking Tim's- I should confess that I can't stand the TH coffee. I know that' s un-Canadian of me. But it's the truth. The Java is weak, thin and fairly bland. I don't drink coffee anymore but when I did I would go to Hortons and order half french vanilla-half coffee. Made it almost drinkable.
I was in London Ontario on a little business the other day and I spent a night in a Hotel. Everything was fine until about 12:30 when the fire alarm went off. BWHOOOP! BWHOOP! BWHOOP!.
Scared the crap out me. Then a voice comes on a speaker and says, "Folks an alarm has been set off on the third floor and we're investigating it."
Great, they're looking into it.
Meanwhile I look down from my 18th floor room and I see the fire department arrive.
This can't be good.
The alarm is still sounding BWHOOOP! BWHOOP! BWHOOP!. This goes on for 15 minutes and then just stops.
No announcement. Now what, I think.
What if the Hotel guy who made the original announcement was over-come by smoke and can't tell me to evacuate.
Needless to say it took me a while to get back to sleep. (Yes I looked down and say the fire department leave-but not for a few groggy moments. Still who knows maybe they missed something and even now the smoke was rising up and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)
I was back on my board, The Burton Baronthis past weekend with my pal Marc G.
Awesome Spring-snow conditions and I like it more every time I do it. It's a different type of vibe than skiing and I think part of why I like it is it makes me feel like a cool young guy instead the un-cool old guy I really am.
Marc G took a little digital camera video of me. Yes now you can watch 40 second of Hhdotcom on a snowboard. Yikes.
I will say that he did a fine job but I think his camera was running a bit slow!
Fred Patterson's Father died on Friday morning. He was 83. He was also one of the nicest, kindest people you could ever meet.
I know the family is saddened but relieved as well as Richard "Big Dick" wasn't having the best time of it these last few months and its hard to watch someone you love suffer.
I spoke with Fred last night and he seems fine. Sad but fine and he'll take care of things the way he always does for his family.
He wrote a very compelling piece on his blog. Take a second and read it here.
I met Fred's parents when I first moved to Toronto in 1989 and I always enjoyed any encounter I had with them. During the Humble and Fred show we talked about them a great deal. Fred's mom Junie, the funny, outspoken one and Dickie the quieter, gentle-man who would do anything for anybody.
I feel bad for Fred because I know what he's going through. It will take time to stop stinging and there will be a lot of sad days ahead. He will get through it because he has a lot of support from friends and family, but it will still be hard.
For me hearing about Dick made me think about my Dad all over again. I was curious to see what I wrote just after he died. It still hurts to read it today these 17 months later.
Chris "Punch" Andrews passed away on the weekend. After his 7 month battle with lung cancer he died. He was one terrific guy.
only worked him for a couple of years and even then only saw him once in a while, but he was one hell of a human being and a very positive person to be around.
A few weeks ago I spoke to him and posted this and even though he was having trouble breathing, he told me how much my call meant. That was Punch. Always trying to make others feel good.
Now all I can think of is: too young, too bad.
For those you who never got to meet or hear Punch have a look at this. He put on a real "Show" when he was on the Radio, it was meant to be fun and of course to make others feel good!
RIP Punch.
(Sung vaguely to the tune of "Happy Anniversary" the Flintstones version.) Dan Duran is 50, Dan Duran is 50, Dan Duran is 50. DanDuran is Fi-if-Tee.
Dan DuranDuranDuranDuranDuran is 50. Dan DuranDuranDuranDuranDuran is Fi-if-Teeeeee! (Repeat until exhausted.)
I have known Dan Duran, man and boy 30 years. He has been the best man at both of my weddings(-The first was a marriage of "convenience"). He is the Godfather of my oldest and his boy is my Godson.
He is about the finest guy you'd ever want to know.
We've lived in Moose Jaw, Calgary, California and Toronto at the same time. We've been roommates, work-mates and pals. We have ingested copious amounts of legal and non-legal substances together and very few other humans make me laugh the way he does. No other human finds me as funny.
We've been through the good and bad times that come from being around one another for 3 decades. When we first met both of our parents were still alive, now only his Father is.
He stood by as one of my first serious relationships ended and I was there when one of his psycho girlfriends threw all his stuff on the lawn and then stalked him for months after. (Much funnier than it sounds.)
He is incredibly honorable, reliable, honest and clumsy.
He has almost chain-sawed his own face off among a lifetime of dropping things, smacking himself in the head and walking into stuff.
He and I and our friend Jeff have been lucky enough to be life-long friends and end up living in the same place. It's a rare luxury for guys in our business.
Tonight we'll head out together, drink responsibly and tell Dan Duran stories and believe me there are many.
Mainly though it'll be about saying...Dan Duran is 50, Dan Duran is 50, Dan Duran is 50. DanDuran is Fi-if-Tee.
Dan DuranDuranDuranDuranDuran is 50. Dan DuranDuranDuranDuranDuran is Fi-if-Teeeeee!
Prior to the weekend I shot 3 cat-training videos. Again, I'm not kidding.
It was an interesting experience. Interesting in "The cat is tired and needs another break so let's just shut down the production again" type of interesting.
In the end we got it done but let's just say even trained cats are cats, if you know what I mean. "You want me to do what and eat the treat. Maybe. Or maybe I'll just sit here while you humans chew through some more money!"
Friday night DW and I flew to Kingston. Great flight, smooth air-25 knot tail wind and rocking the Cardinal to the tune of 180mph. Winter flying can give you some great speed.
We ate a place my buddy Marc recommended called Chez Piggy and if you're ever in the K-town do it. It has a nice vibe and great food. One of the founding members of the Lovin Spoonful Zal Yanofski started it years ago and it's a local fav.
Then, full of Piggy food, we flew back to Toronto with the clearest night sky you can imagine.
Saturday-Boarded.(See below) Sunday-Watched Tiger suck.(See below) Sunday night we took the girls to 10,000 BC. It didn't totally suck. But I would caution you this way. If you're not bringing your kids or some nieces or nephews I'd save it for a rental or PPV.
I was rolling my eyes a lot and Randee and I were mocking it throughout but the girls dug it so I can't hate it.
I give it 2.7 Fake-looking Woolly Mamouth's out of 6.
Today I'm back to work and facing several days of looking at cat-training footage.(See above) I'm the Peter Jackson of cat-training videos and this is my trilogy.
Now if we could only have gotten the cat to eat one of the sponsors treats!
Early in January I wrote about my adventures learning to ride a snowboard.
Quite painful and at times I wasn't sure I wanted to persevere.
Well I did and it was worth it.
In the last three months I've boarded 10 times and I can't believe:
A)How much fun it is.
B)How much more fun it is than skiing.
Sorry skiers. It is.
Also I've gotten pretty good. Considering how much I sucked to begin with.
This past weekend Charlie and I went to Blue Mountain with MG(buddy and former Team Gold soccer coach) and his kids and we had a blast.(Make sure to order the Litre of beer at Skool!)
I also bought my first new board. Well almost new, but mine. A Burton Baron.
Burton is the big name in Snow Boarding and mine is cool.
Blue was having an end of season sale and I got if for half.
The freedom, the connection to the hill, the thrill. Way different than on ski's and I can't get enough. Usually at this time I year I'd be all itching to play golf but for the next few weeks I'm going to find any snow I can and go.
Dang these short Canadian Winters!
I'm working this week on a series of cat-training videos.
Yes I am and you can't stop me.
The amount of prep that goes into shooting cat-training videos would blow your mind.
Seriously.
Studio, sets, designers, cameras, sound-guy, make-up, catering, production-assistants all go into this huge production that will end up being 3-5 minutes videos of cat-training magic.
I love doing this stuff. The prep is interesting. "Hmmmm how should I frame the cat jumping through a hoop? What would Spielberg do?"
I especially like the shoot day.
I say, "Quiet on the set."
Then, "Roll camera!"
And "Action."
It's cool.
Later I say "Cut," but I like "Action" better.
The greatest thing about working on a set is the food. It's non-stop. Breakfast, snacks, lunch, snacks, break, snacks and then more snacks.
Snacks are the life-blood of the shoot and heaven forbid that everyone isn't stuffing their pie-holes for even a minute.
Every time I yell "Cut" I lose half the crew to eating.
I'll let you know when this epic will be available to view.
Maybe someday I'll get a call from Amblin. "Is this Howard Glassman?" "Steven just loved what you did with the Cat training picture!"
My wife and girlfriend Randee is off to learn more about Web 2.O and digital marketing today and this dude Mitch Joel is one of the speakers at her forum.
She is looking to upgrade her skill set(which is vast to begin with. Hire her for chrissake!) and this is a great avenue to do that.
She sent me MJ's site TwistImage and I dug it. So will you.
He recently posted something called 15 Reasons Why Blogging Matters and it's an interesting read.
I liked reason #14. Legacy -
Google has a very long tail. Whatever you Blog about becomes part of our global and collective history. It's there (in some form or another) forever. While that will scare some, I think it's one of the coolest things ever. It forces me to think long and hard about what I'm going to post and, more importantly, how that post is going to look in two-three years time. Whatever you Blog about is going to be there forever.
Hmm.Forever?
I may have to rethink my position on the Monkey Videos.
For a few years I worked at the Mix with a guy named Punch Andrews. He did weekends and filled in on our show doing traffic.
I won't say that we were best friends, just a good dude you'd see in the halls who was always smiling and upbeat.
Punch isn't doing so well these days. He has incurable lung cancer and is in the final stages.
Yet he's still the most positive guy.
Last week, wheezing on oxygen, he dropped in on the Jim Richards show on CFRB and it was amazing Radio. Riveting, compelling and authentic. All the things that most Radio isn't.
Have a listen here.
I spoke with Jim on the weekend and told him what a great broadcast I thought this was.
I also talked to Punch.
For the last 5 months or so he and I have been trading voice messages and Sunday we finally talked.
He sounds like a guy who has just finished a 100 yard dash and is gasping for breath.
Yet he is the most positive guy.
He told me my call made his day. I didn't know what to say. No one does really.
I told him he was on my mind and that I know everyone is pulling for him.
He had a smile in his voice even though I knew he was in pain.
Kind of puts things into perspective doesn't it? If you know him reach out, if you don't and you're looking to direct a prayer or just good wishes somewhere the Punch-Man could use it.
You won't find a more deserving or positive guy.
I've been working on a new commercial voice demo and it's finally done. I had a lot of help from my pal Jeff Lumby in terms of direction(Julie too!) and my buddy Ric Randmaa did the music and editing.
It will soon be up on the Fountainhead Talent website, but here's an early listen.
It's a very different approach for me and I was trying to showcase a less "announcer-ish" vibe, as that style is no longer in demand. Much like myself.
Soccer. Three times on Saturday. I drive, watch, pick-up, feign interest and then we go home.
I shouldn't say feign interest. I enjoy the games and endure the practices but I'm a Dad and there's not where I'd rather be than watching my kids play a sport.
After last week's American Idol, Spencer's been obsessed with Your so Vain the song the girl with the long blond hair sang and Simon and the other nitwits loved.
Spenny sings all the time anyway but it was kind of surreal on Saturday, sitting around playing that song for her on the guitar while she warbled a tune that is 3 times older than her.
Strange.
My brudda Steve is in town to cook up more CBC business that will eventually not involve me.
It's also his 62nd birthday soon so we had him over for dinner and some cake. We sang happy birthday to him and the girls made sure not to disturb him when he dozed off after dinner.
Old people are so cute.
I finally flew a plane for the first time since December. This is the longest layoff I've had since I got my license 4 years ago.
A combination of work and weather. One has been great and the other has sucked-ass.
We flew to Hanover, near Owen Sound, had a massive breakfast of bacon, ham and sausages(all kosher) and flew home.
Anyway it's not quite like riding a bike. Well it is I guess, if the bike had wings, was going 160 miles an hour and if you lose your balance you end up a smoking hole in some farmers field.
I was a little rusty on some systems stuff and my landing was on the clunkier side but I did remember how much I loved being in the air.
Hey gang, it's your friendly neighbourhood 
