We Did It!

So Canada won Olympic gold, but before we get all nationalistic and teary eyed let's go back to in time to Canada in the 1980s... when things were equally as awesome! Joey Jeremiah I still love you, and this song triggers memories of not wanting to go to school on Monday morning. Ironically I now feel the same way about work.

The Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction

This is the stuff you just can't make up. I'm almost two months into my new gig, but I still don't feel right looking at my blogs while on the job (even though I've seen plenty of co-workers chuckling at YouTube vids). Somehow the sucio-ness of my would be lover Michael K over at Dlisted doesn't seem like it would fly in a litigation office. So when I get home from work one of the first things I do is scope out the pop culture garbage that I missed all day. Today I came home to find that Dlisted had posted an entry about a guy a went to summer camp with. His name is Ohad, and I remember him oh-so-well. He sang "I Swear" by All-4-One at the camp talent show, and it blew my mind. His fake tan, huge muscles, highlighted, straight ironed, and extremely gelled hair were all part of the cheesetastic package. And then to top it all off the next year his boy band blew up in Toronto, and I forced like 50 people to watch the videotaped footage of the talent show so they could see just how dedicated Ohad really is. I dare you to watch this without peeing yourself just a little (if you must, watch it on mute to protect your ears). Behold! Ohad's boy band b4-4:

via Dlisted

#1 Dad

The past couple of weeks at my new job I've finally started to realize why people love Pandora so much. Pandora let's you create your own "radio station" by choosing one artist to mold an entire playlist after. What I've really enjoyed is finally hearing the artists that I've always heard about, but never got around to listening to. Case in point Loudon Wainwright III, singer/songwriter, thespian, and father of Montréaler Rufus Wainwright. I've been a fan of Loudon since he played the classic "divorced dad going through a midlife crisis" character Hal in Judd Apatow's Undeclared, but until today I had never heard his music. I've really been missing out. My knowledge of folk music is limited at best, so when listening to a Pandora playlist inspired by Nick Drake I was pleased to discover that the man who had made me laugh years ago, is also one hell of a musician. Check out this video of Loudon playing a track from the Knocked Up soundtrack, and if you're a fan of Freaks & Geeks I suggest you give Undeclared a whirl.

For The Love of Food: Halloween Edition

When you’re a kid, the best part about Halloween is the candy. As much as a costume can bring joy and excitement, the candy amassed over the course of a night becomes sacred like pirate booty. We fiercely protect our treasure against those who linger too closely, knowing all to well that some items are valued more than others. Personally chocolate bars ranked in as number one, followed closely by caramels, mini bags of chips, and random wrapped taffy goodies. Now that I’m older the thought of eating a whole bag of candy is slightly nauseating, but deep inside the inner child in me still screams with delight every time I see a jumbo bag of Halloween candy. The best part about 'trick or treating' in Canada is our unique candies, and salty snacks. Every Halloween no matter how far from home I am, I think about those chaotic nights - sweating through layers of make up, maneuvering my way to a stranger's door front, and lastly dumping my bag of candy on the basement coffee table, and going to town. Ketchup chips, Coffee Crisps, Aero Bars, Caramilks, Smarties!!! Thankfully I discovered the Lower East Side's candy haven (aka Economy Candy), but if you’re not in NYC and have a hankering for some Northern treats, Canadian Favourites can definitely satiate all your desires. Happy Halloween!

Off To Montréal!

I have a horrible secret to admit... I haven't stepped foot on Canadian soil in over a year! The horror! So I'm off to Montréal tomorrow to spend a few days in my hometown, and reconnect with my Canadian compatriots. I have many lovely activities lined up, but the most important of all is diving into Québec's national dish: Poutine. What is poutine you ask? Well it's crispy Belgium style french fries, with cheese curds (or "squeaky cheese" as I like to call it), topped with gravy. It sounds gluttonous because it is, and I promise you it's worth every calorie. To get an idea of all the fun that goes down in Montréal, check out my Citiscape article from TRACE magazine. Until my return, I bid you adieu!

The Video Vault: Canadian Pride Edition

There's something really satisfying about seeing fellow Canadians making it big around the world. Little do the Americans know that we've slowly infiltrated their society and soon enough they'll be under our control! We soften them with laughter and then BAM! all of a sudden Lorne Michaels is giving fellow Canadians every spot on Saturday Night Live (Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Phil Hartman, Norm Macdonald, Mike Myers = all Canucks). Next up for Canadian comics: cornering the market on blockbusters. Oh wait, Seth Rogen's got that covered. On that note, here is an amazing 1995 SNL performance by Canadian rock legends The Tragically Hip. Check out Aykroyd's introduction and outfit - totally solid!

The Video Vault

Before I owned a real stereo, my brother and I shared a Fisher Price tape player/recorder which we used nonstop. We would record fake cooking shows, nature sounds, and eventually entertained ourselves on long car trips by bringing along the recorded audio for ABC 'TGIF' shows like Perfect Strangers, and Family Matters. I'm sure my parents loved that. When I first discovered MuchMusic, I used the same Fisher Price player to record the audio from music videos. Circa 1994 my favorites were Canadian classics like the Tragically Hip, and Moist. But I soon discovered the dark stylings of Portishead, and in particular the video for 'Sour Times'. I was drawn to its darkness and mystery - the image of Beth Gibbons mascara stained, and wailing haunted me.