floating chinese delicacies...

some dvd reviews...

aeon flux... charlize really hot. movie not so hot. ok, average movie. a bit of a vancouver feel to the movie. gnome sane?

blues brothers... never thought i ever write this about a movie: too many car chases. not very funny except the part where dan ackroyd ordered toasted white bread in the soul food cafe. the movie felt like a 2 hr. version of SNL. zzzzzzzzzz.

photographic tip of day...

this device may have practical application my photography friends.

white-tailed jack rabbit (Lepus townsendii) and world cup 2006 update.

bunny in the garden...

bunny in flight...

bunny snacking on dandilions...

world cup 2006 update...

1. is this the world diving championships or is this the world cup of soccer? oh, brasil hasn't played yet... i've seen a few dives that would challenge for the olympic gold, eh. i would suggest that FIFA implement NHL type manpower shortage-type penalties for divers. that should take care 90 percent of the diving in soccer.
2. world cup games should not be awarded to upper-tier cable channels.
3. the american soccer commentators (on ABC) talk way too much.
4. the sound mix for the TSN's day 1 coverage was terrible. could not hear the commentator over the crowd. maybe that was for the best...
5. where's the BBC coverage?
6. i like trinidad and tobago's team. if they can qualify a team why can't we? they're puny in comparison.
7. it's fun watching countries like portugal play their ex-colonies...
   
8. bhutan 1, montserrat nil. bhutanese commentator's line of the game: the ball will reach heaven before it reaches the goal... (source: the passionate eye doc called "the other final")

the beautiful game...

World Cup of Soccer 2006...

i only pay attention to professional soccer or football once every 4 years. it took me 12 years (3 world cups) to figure out the offside rule.

i love the world cup though.

prognosis #1: brasil vs. france... in the final game.

brasil is obvious. they are the montreal canadiens and new york yankees of football. would i cheer for the present day pele's? yup. at the drop of a hat. i don't care.

france, if i remember from previous world coupes is pretty good. they're pretty tough. i like that henry guy. i like that zidane guy as well. i hope he's still around. they have to finish tops in their group for this prediction to come to fruition, but i see no probs.

if france chokes, i have soft spots for the nederlands (because the most beautiful goal i ever did see was scored by the nederlands and orange is a fun colour), denmark (because of a danish girl i knew once), sweden (because of a swedish girl i knew once), and any african team (because they are the best dressed).

prognosis #2: brasil will be the 2006 world cup champions by 2 over france, with the last goal being a empty net goal.

duhhhh...

canada's hockey, i mean soccer, team didn't qualify. so, like every other canadian immigrant (say 95 percent of us) i'll pick the team from the old country.

besides, like i said, brasil's pretty obvious.

supplementary prognosis: the pommes will choke once again... just wanted to get that one in. ha!

here's to lots mo tv watching and soccer hooligans!!!!!!!!!!

current observations...

looks like we have "homegrown" terrorists in canada.

dang you anne mclellan. why didn't you prepare me psychologically for this!!!???

security consultants/experts are dregs.

the more fear they can drum up, the more business they get.

canadian terrorists, when they're on, are very very busy people.

beheading stephen harper? pfffft... that's so weird.

then taking over the cbc building? why? you have some really bad canadian terrorist shows to put on?

a great muslim friend of mine, i'll call him ahmed, has not experienced any backlash yet, but he's decided to cut back on the lawn fertilizer this summer. ahmed really said that. i'm not kidding.

y'all terrorists just pissed off at the rest of the universe or do you feel a little on edge 'cause you're just a bit hungry? in rolls a stand of snickers bars... if it were only that simple...

the edmonton oiler's biggest problem? not goaltending but a really porous defence.

just realized that the RBC in RBC arena in raleigh, north carolina is THE real RBC. bastards?!?! who put the C in RBC, eh? glad i don't park my money in that bank.

the carolina anthem singer is hot but she can't sing...

saw another over-aged kid stuffed in a BOB (bike) trailer last weekend...now that was terrifying.

there's ant farm in my keyboard.

the final prediction...

ouch... the edmonton oil will be the 2006 stanley cup champions. it hurt me to say that. i hope your tetanus shot is up to date...

the 2006 stanley freakin' cup finals...

the edmonton oilers vs. the carolina hurricanes...finally.

i've bet against the hurricanes for the past 3 series. i'm going to do it again.

reasons?

1. in edmonton, i think 'canes will finally meet a formidable foe. i think they would have been defeated in the semifinals if the sabres didn't have so many injuries.
2. the speed factor and face-off capabilities of the edmonton's forwards are superior to those of the hurricanes.
3. the tandem of pronger and smith gives the oilers an edge in defence.
4. i'd have to give an edge to edmonton in terms of goaltending as well.

my prediction: the oil in 6.

i've come to the conclusion that i can live with respecting the oiler team and still hate the oiler fans.

damn those fans.
damn the north saskatchewan river.
damn the boreal forest.
damn jasper.
damn the edmonton subway.
damn their mall (again).
damn the university of alberta.
damn their traffic circles.
damn calgary trail.
damn their lousy airport.
damn klondike days...
damn ralphie klein...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

go canada!!! (why would you want to blow'd us nice folks up real good?)

i feel alot better now.

reduce the deuce...

i used to watch the classic stampede wrestling show hosted by the venerable late wailin' ed whelan a.k.a. to younger readers as the late voice of your calgary flames. ed would start out by welcoming his viewers and all the "shut ins". for the longest time i couldn't figure out what a shut in was.

for this posting, i want to welcome all of bikeclub's shut ins. well, there's only one. that'd be dillan. poor guy did a somersault with one half twist over his bike's handle bars last week. damn all motorised vehicles. if he didn't break every bone in his body, sounds better than a sore wrist, i'd say cool man.

he missed bikeclub meeting this weekend due to self applied physiotherapy to his ailing wrist. so, if you have his email address handy drop the guy a note of condolences.

by the way, his fine cannondale's unscathed, thank goodness.

now this weekend's report. damn, the bikeclub trip on saturday was a hoot. what a great time. sorry you couldn't be there dillan. u were missed. next week, my friend.

my advice for all bikers is if the wind is a gale from the west, best keep the route running north and south.

this time we headed north, through confed park, to the eastern flanks of nosehill (along beddington trail), then back to soapydave and gina's via the elbow river trail.

all completed the ride but dave ran outta juice and hit the wall really bad. never seen him so wiped before, eh. but, hey, he still slayed the sandy beach monster hill. that was great.

all of this to get some exercise. it's soapydave's and my goal to crack the deuce (crack the 200 lb barrier) this summer (thus reduce the deuce). we're currently looking for investors to help us print this slogan on bumper stickers.

thanx soapydave and soapygina for dinner. it was really delish.

break #1. lunch and crashing phantom weddings in confed park.

post-lunch calisthenics. it doesn't work if it doesn't hurt, eh.

break #2. can't suffer all the time. i-scream at confetti's on the banks of the mighty nose.

hinterland who's who: mergus merganser...not your stereotypical duck.

exquisite in its form, mergus merganser, also known as the common merganser, is ubiquitous on the open waters of Canada's deep running rivers, and lakes.

these rather large ducks are characterized by long, slim necks and thin, serrated, and hooked red bills, allowing them to feed on small fish, crustaceans and aquatic insects.

the female, whose call consists of a deep, harsh, croaking kar-r-r and a quick kokokokok, is recognized by it's chestnut brown, crested head.

the male, whose call is also a deep croak but interspersed with twanging singular bell-like notes, is distinguished by it's dark green, non-crested head and pure white chest.

mergus merganser journeys with the canadian snowbird to the warmer environs of the southern united states in winter, only to return to the expanses of the great white north in the spring to the delight of canadian birdwatchers.

picture perfect peonies in portland...

my sister sent me some really lovely pix of her peonies in portland (hillsboro) OR. i always have a good laugh when i think of me living on the tundra. i think its been summer in oregon for quite awhile now.

security breech...

i don't know what i was thinking today when i greeted a couple of jehovah's witnesses at the front door. generally, my spidey sense can detect them a mile away.

i could of slammed the door in their faces but i just can't do that kind of stuff.

so, i let the guy do his spiel.

to summarize: according to him, the news nowadays is filled with bad news. i reluctantly concurred. he opened his JW bible and started to read, at which time my brain shut down. according to God, there's a grand plan to transform the bad news into good...

he asked me, "so, what do think the solution to the world's problem is?" or, something to that effect.

i dunno. i blurted out, "maybe we should stop watching the news..." i didn't mean it to come out as a smart ass remark. he kind of chuckled but his buddy, who turned out to be his wife, gave me the scowl of scowls. oops.

the guy quickly surmised that i'd be a tough nut to crack. he gave me a couple of watchtower mags. he and his wife hightailed it to the next house.

conclusions: 1) selling religion door to door must be a really tough gig, even if you're passionate about the product. 2) you got to think of really good closer that will clinch the deal, like 72 virgin women in paradise. not something like the watchtower, pfft. 3) i will burn in hell...

if you're short of good reading material, i've got a couple of interesting mags burning a hole in the kitchen table... you know how to find me...

15 is the new 3 or something like that...

victoria day bonus mystery pic: what are these food items? clues: hasn't been cooked yet AND they are highly popular ethnic (middle kingdom) delicacies (sometimes take-out). i think i just it away...

this is the best vicky day holiday ever.

did a bit of bushwacking and geo-caching with LB (photo to come) in FCP on saturday.

went biking down the elbow yesterday. for the longest time, i sat on a stanley park bench watching lovely rafters float down the river. i saw a really old lady, perhaps eighty years old, wearing the same t-shirt i was wearing. i left promptly.

today? maybe i go see some big big airplanes at the airport. gotsta go before it get's too hot...

hope everyone's having a swell long weekend...

is there still hockey goin' on...?

qqqqqqqttttttt, come on out. how 'bout len? or does dean work in that building? the buildings all look the same. new lens: nikon 18-200 f3.5-5.6 dx. it's a beauty eh?

spent a few hours downtown yesterday. i looked around for people i knew. no such luck. i thought i'd see qtlibrarian at least. in the end, i settled for a delish vietnamese sub sandwich. mmmm...

thought i better fire off this posting so we can get on the rest of our engrossing lives.

yes, there's still hockey... good news, the slackers, choke artists, and chump wannabes have dropped by the wayside. only the true, men-stocked hockey teams are left.

the east.

buffalo sabres vs. carolina hurricanes...

in each of the last 2 rounds i've bet against the 'canes to advance. i'll do it again. i just have a bad feeling about them. yes, they hammered marty brodeur in the quarters. i know. but, they are really up against tough competition in the buffalo sabres.

the sabres are sort of like the oilers of the east. lots of speed. lots of scoring ability. the true prototypical team of the "new" nhl. let me emphasize the word "team". they are the consummate team coming out of the east.

so, taking all of these concepts into consideration, along with season records against one another:

my prediction: sabres in 6.

the west.

the edmonton oilers vs. mighty ducks of anaheim...

my gut says oilers. my brain says oilers.

my prediction: the oilers in 6.

damn those oiler fans. damn the "blue" mile. damn the west edmonton mall. damn the eskimos. damn that city of chumps sign on highway 2. damn ralph klein.