Bang!

Nothing like blowing up an anvil to start your day.



I go every year. This event is part of the yearly Hyack Festival.

I forgot my camera, but Global BC was kind enough to film it for me.

At the start Archie Miller asks for a show of hands from newbies. Those are the people to watch at the first blast to see how high they jump.

This event is not loved by babies and dogs.

Another amusing side effect: each blast is followed by a chorus of car alarms

My Eyes, They Burn!

Ladies and Gents, may I present the 2008 Canadian Olympic uniform:

A bit about this beautiful outfit (and I do not jest):

The look: vibrant reds and Chinese symbolism married with Canadian tradition. The Team Canada Beijing Games clothing line is proudly emblazoned with maple leaves, the word Canada written in both English and Mandarin, and uses a primarily red and white colour pallet. Colour inspiration is also drawn from the five elements of Chinese astrology — earth, wood, fire, water and metal — and on some pieces, Chinese symbolism takes the form of the lucky number eight, which, when repeated, makes an attractive pattern.

May I add that this combination does NOT make an attractive pattern.

In fact the last time I saw this pattern there was tequila, three monkeys, cantaloupe and a tilt-o-whirl involved, but that's a different post.

I quote Canadian Olympic swimmer Jennifer Button:

“The fabrics and designs are very forward thinking. The design team really took into consideration the climate, both cultures and the varied body types that they will be outfitting at the Games,” added Button. “I can't wait to see all the athletes in their Team Canada gear!”

Can you picture it? Opening ceremony and here comes Team Canada!



Of course they also have sports specific gear as well as these choice selections for lazing around the Olympic compound in the evenings:



Nice

Ok, last photo was (duh!) BS. But I wouldn't be surprised if that actually was the look they were going for.

And if you would like to see more lovely couture from old catalogues, check out Welcome to WishbookWeb.com.

A Century In Video - 1915

Here is another Edison short. This one is 3:42 of people coming out after a show in the Claremont Theater in NYC.

This is the type of film I love finding - a little slice of everyday life.



Many of the theatre goers seem to be aware of the camera filming them as they leave, but since they are watching Edison films (perhaps even a few of the ones posted in the series), they may have been told about the camera. You'll notice a few people wave at the camera as they leave.

The clothing is, of course, very different than today. For one thing ALL the young boys are dressed in knickerbockers and ALL the women are in long dresses. But everyone acts pretty well the same as they would now for the same sort of "event"

If you take a closer look at the clothing you may note as I did that the clothing seems rather formal. Keep in mind that going to the movies was a big deal in 1915. Most of these people probably had never seen a film before.

Good news - the building is still around: Remembering an Architect Who Shaped the West Side

Here is a comparison. The old one is a screen shot from the film and the new one is from the above NYT article. (click to embiggen)



More info about the film via the Library of Congress can be found here

Blog Action Day

Welcome. Today is Blog Action Day. A day for bloggers all over the world to post on a single subject - The environment.

Here is the YouTube video that clued me in.



First lets start with an important message from President Al Gore (Well he should have been president!)



Of course President Bush is also very concerned with global warming. Please take this video as proof that he has deep, deep concerns about the state of the earth.



"And what" - you may ask "is the Canadian government doing?"

Why everything in their power of course.



Of course the media can be counted on to cover global warming issues in a fair and unbiased manner. Neutrality is their middle name after all.

Rick Mercer - Canada's answer to Jon Stewart - Talks to Liberal Party leader Stéphane Dion about (among other things) the Kyoto Protocol.



How long have you been aware of global warming issues? Well it's not a new issue. Here is an excerpt from the 1958 Frank Capra film The Unchained Goddess explaining the dangers ahead.



If you still have any doubts about the long term effects of global warming. let this video be a warning:



Ok, ok. I know that this is a serious topic. But I can't write well enough to teach you anything without putting you to sleep. So I thought I'd post a bunch of (hopefully) humorous stuff and let the other bloggers out there show you the good stuff. What other bloggers? Here is a list of all the Blog Action Day participants and another list of some suggested resources

P.S. At press time there are 15,568 blogs signed up to participate with a combined rss reach of 12,507,731!

Yeeeeeehaaaaaa!

I would LOVE to go on this roller coaster:

Eejanaika Roller Coaster

Here's some video footage. The shooter includes footage of both watching and riding the coaster. Looks wicked.



Here is the official site which also includes some more video footage

Here's a site I just started visiting: Theme Park Review Downloadable Coaster Videos

Lots of good stuff here. Mostly amateur videos, so the quality can vary.

Note: some of the videos are for members only, but anyone can join for free.

If you are in the mood for queasy, have a look at this site that lists the author's Top 10 Roller Coasters.

All of them looked pretty gruesome, but this one is the one I would love to try:

The Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point Park in Sandusky, Ohio




Here's some P.O.V footage:



So far of the coasters I've been on (not that many), these are my top 5:

1. California Screamin'


2. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad


3. Jurassic Park


4. Splash Mountain


5. Space Mountain

All are in Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure, except number 3 which is at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Our local wooden coaster is pretty cool too.

Big Day Tomorrow

Can't write tonight 'cause I have to go to bed early(ish). My big brother is getting married tomorrow.

Day Full Of Wieners...

So last weekend we went on the 2nd annual Miniature Dachshund Club of BC walk.

After about the first 10 minutes or so the weather was beautiful... Off came the sweatshirt.

I would say there was about 50 or so wieners there, most very well behaved and only a couple of barkers.

There were a number of games for pooch and people, hot dogs for sale, a few group walks and much frolicking.

Of course there was a raffle, with many goodies. I cleaned up in the herb department.

Here's the Bratster all hot in her "Princess" t-shirt.



We got that for her last year at the Excalibur in Las Vegas. The arms didn't fit her right because of the unique dachshund physiology, so we cut the arms off. I think she looks rather butch.

Here's she's playing "bobbing for wieners" with dad. She didn't win as one of the other dogs didn't seem to need to chew.




Skill testing question - who's the bigger gimboid?





Look, Brat can climb!




And with her friend Freddy James

Hallowiener Walk

Very, very late post....

Went on a wiener walk for Hallowe'en. Lots of wieners, lots of treats.

Brat went as a dragon. Some people thought she was a dinosaur, that works too. Meet Bratasaurus Rex:




This is our neighbour (and Brat's best friend) Daisy:



There were a few non wieners too:



Awwwwww:



Of course we had games. This is musical hoops:



And guess what tired pooch won best costume?

Another Wiener Walk

Went on another wiener walk today at Peace Arch Park. This one hosted by the Miniature Dachshund Club of BC.

Here's the Bratster:



And here is everyone walking their wieners:


This was the first walk this group has done, and it went very well. Mostly sunny, lots of happy dogs (about 40), races and games and treats for the pooches.

Brat is sleeping it off now.

Where Is The Border?

I went to a wedding this weekend in a park right on the US Canadian border. The actual ceremony was held in the US, but the bride and groom walked about 50 feet north to Canada to sign the registry due to the fact that the marriage commissioner was not entitled to perform marriages in the States. I spent some time before the ceremony watching the lineups to cross both borders:



And then I walked about 100 feet into the park and took this picture:



Everything from those trees to me is in the US. The houses and the road are in Canada. What separates the 2? A little ditch.

How much you wanna bet those Canadians (Surrey, BC) cross the road and go to the American (Blaine WA) 7/11 to buy beer?

BYW, most of the cars in the 1st photo took about an hour to cross

Gotta love international security :-)

Oh Beautiful for smoggy skies, insecticided grain,
For strip-mined mountain's majesty above the asphalt plain.
America, America, man sheds his waste on thee,
And hides the pines with billboard signs, from sea to oily sea.
~George Carlin

(Not that we Canadians are saints!)

Wonderful Weekend!

Had a super long weekend. Friday it poured, with thunder and lightening, and part of Saturday. But by mid Saturday it cleared up and was in the high twenties for the rest of the weekend.

Went to the Victoria Day celebrations at Queen's Park on Monday. Started out watching the "The Ancient and Honourable Hyack Anvil Battery" at the Queen's Park stadium. This is a 21-gun salute to the monarch, but instead of using guns, or a cannon, they put black powder in between two anvils (bottom one 350 pounds, top one 150 pounds) and then light the powder with a red hot rod. The whole thing explodes with an incredible bang (Very, very, loud!). Repeat 21 times.

After that we went over to the fair. Lots of kiddy rides, dog agility show, junk food, petting zoo and water park. Good donairs, great lemonade. We took Brat (La Wiener) to see the dog show, she was fascinated with the whole thing and wanted to join in. She's 4 months's old now and up to a fantastic 8 pounds. Want's to play with everyone of course, but still just our baby.

Spent the rest of Monday lazing on the front porch and eating ribs.

May sound pedestrian, but it don't get much better.