Olympic Fever: Living the Dream

Part two of Olympic Fever (my vlog mini series) is HERE! Enjoy this next segment and stay tuned, one more to come!

Olympic Fever: Living the Dream from MannyG on Vimeo.

Josh and I actually talked with Dan O'Toole from TSN afterwards and captured it on video, courtesy of Josh's camera. HOWEVER, something happened and the file is nowhere to be found! SHOOT! It happened with a certain New Year's vid as well... COM'ON!

Music:

Stars - The Black House, The Blue Sky (Stars Vs. Montag)
Europe - The Final Countdown
Empire of the Sun - Walking On A Dream

Dialogue of the Day

So I have some unreal dialogue to share with you! Some is not entirely appropriate to release, but of the four separate instances, I'll share three.

It was yesterday (just after lunch) when my co-worker, Uncle Ray was putting outlet/light switch templates back on. Here is the first instance of dialogue:

Uncle Ray: "Where are the screws for that open plate over there?"
Myself: "They're the longer ones in that container you have."
Uncle Ray: "Ah, the ultra long screw size."
Myself: "Yep, Ultra long!" (making fun of the adjective used)
My Boss: "*chuckle* "That's what she said." (referring to Uncle Ray's comment and possibly mine)
Myself: *Laughing out loud*
Uncle Ray: *laughing* "Nope, that's what we wish to hear!"
Myself: *Laughing out LOUDER*

Today at lunch, a life lesson from Ray surfaced. Here is the second instance of dialogue:

Uncle Ray: *showing me a picture of a Triumph bike in the Winnipeg Sun*
Myself: "Ah, nice bike."
Uncle Ray: "Yep, she's a beauty."

... Sometime, later on in the conversation...

Uncle Ray (who has his bike license): "What really kills you is the insurance."
Myself: "Ya, you mentioned that last week."
Uncle Ray: "Yep." *he goes back to eating from his massive container of yogurt*

... Sometime, later on in the conversation...

Uncle Ray: "It's not about the speed for me, like most guys. They want to get to their destination as fast as they can. I bike because I enjoy the ride on the way to where I'm going."
Myself: "Cool, that actually makes a lot of sense."
Uncle Ray: "The journey is my destination..."
Myself: *laugh out LOUD* "Wow, Life lessons with RAY!"

Life Lesson: The journey is your destination.

Ah, Uncle Ray never ceases to amaze me! He gets more unreal with each passing day! Here is the dialogue of instance number three:

Myself (putting back shelves on the wall): "Ah shoot, we have to put the other one up first!"
Uncle Ray: *deeply inhales and then exhales by motor boating his lips*
Myself: *laugh out loud* "Donald Duck!" (he does that doesn't he? Anyways it reminded me of Donald Duck)
Uncle Ray: *starts speaking like Donald Duck*!!!!!!
Myself: *LAUGH OUT LOUDEST* (I also joined in on the Donald Duck speech)

There you go! You want to meet Uncle Ray, don't you?!

Son of a Man (Response to Sungnation's Challenge)

My boy Sung, from Sungnation, sent out a video transmission the other day, challenging his fellow bloggers to spit some lip-syncing lyrics of any tune and capture the moment on tape, just for the sake of fun and randomness.

Here is the challenge transmission:

Challenge Extended from Eric Sung on Vimeo.

And here's my response:

Son of a Man from MannyG on Vimeo.

The music gripped me... I had to sing a long/harmonize at some points. I believe I've just officially embarrassed myself too. Meh, I hope you had a laugh.

C-Flow's response:

challenge accepted! from Cam F. on Vimeo.

WORLD CUP EXCITEMENT

Champions League is now finished; Internazionale Milan beat Bayern Munich 2-0. I was fortunate enough to watch it at Winnipeg's very newest, impressive Sports Bar: 4Play! It's UNREAL in there. They have a THEATRE with at least 7 rows of comfy recliners where you can eat and watch the game. I believe it has become my new favourite joint.

Anyways, we can now look forward to the WORLD CUP! The biggest sporting event on this Earth! I'm super excited to just let this tournament rock my life. This June will be one to remember, trust me!

Nike has now officially gotten me PUMPED with their new "Write the Future", World Cup commercial. It is 3 MINUTES LONG! SO EPIC, SO HEROIC, SO INSPIRING, SO BEAUTIFUL, SO... TRUE! Check this OUT NOW, and if you don't get goose-bumps or chills while watching, you may possibly not be human.

Stars - "We Don't Want Your Body"

First of all... Stars' second single "We Don't Want Your Body", from their (yet to be launched) new album The Five Ghosts, has just recently been released! SUPERB, it is. It's actually streaming live at Pitchfork.com right NOW! Go check it out here: We Don't Want Your Body!! It hits iTunes on Tuesday, May 25th.

Second of all... this just in from Stars: The Five Ghosts: The Making Of, Part Four!! I'm not sure how many they have done, but I'm definitely loving the surprises. Enjoy!

Olympic Fever: Going for Gold

WOW, I've finally gotten this Olympic mini series underway! I figured, if I don't get this up when the World Cup hits, it will never happen. Because when the World Cup's on, I am solely focused on that tournament. I'll see if I can post a jaw-dropping, eye-widening, breath-taking, and most of all inspiring World Cup Nike video tomorrow. Trust me, it's UNREAL!

Okay, back to Olympic fever; I hope to release one of these once a week until the World Cup. That way it'll give me a deadline, and I do actually finish things when I have the pressure of due dates! Also, don't expect anything too spectacular, even though it took me a few months to post this, it doesn't mean I was actually fully working on it the whole time! Anyways, enjoy the first segment of Olympic FEVER! Cheers!

Olympic Fever: Going for Gold from MannyG on Vimeo.

Music:

Phoenix - Rome (Neighbours with Devendra Banhart Remix)
Beast - Arrow
Blur - Fool's Day
Phoenix - Love Like A Sunset (Animal Collective Remix) [Deakin's Jam]

Mobile Mayhem

Life Lesson: No SMS is worth an SOS.

The use of mobile phones while driving is just plain deadly. Especially text-messaging, which apparently keeps users' eyes off the road for an average of 4 seconds! This translates into a full football field in length (120 metres) at average speeds! This info came from U.S. transportation secretary Ray LaHood. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who supports a global safety campaign on mobile use while driving (led by the U.S. and Russia), announced that in some countries, approximately 90% of people use mobile phones while driving. That's UNREAL, and totally true. Manitoba will finally pass a law banning cellphone use and texting while driving next month. If caught, the ticket fine will cost the driver $191; but why that significant amount? Does someone know?! Do they draw three numbers from 1-10, put them together, and the result is the amount (sarcasm font needed)? The fine will most likely rise and become more severe in time though; it happened with the seat belt penalty! The use of mobile phones in vehicles is gradually becoming the number one killer on the road, and this is scary!!

Obviously it is super convenient to use the phone when you are driving, but you cannot deny, that in doing so, that action creates a massive safety hazard! Stats don't lie (most of the time), the risk of getting into an accident is increased by four times when you drive and use your mobile. Cellular devices are extremely distracting when you aren't driving, so why use them when you are?! Don't get me wrong, I AM 100% guilty of using my cellphone when I drive. Just yesterday I used it when I was driving late to my soccer game. I texted at a red light (safer than while driving) and then to be sure, called my friend to tell her to put me down on the game sheet because I was going to be late (you can only play the second half if you're not on the game sheet before the game starts; it's stupid)! So in that way it's convenient, but I'm not ignoring the fact that it is still dangerous. Also yesterday, my Mom saw three separate, serious accidents while driving down the same road! Who knows if it was really due to cellphone use, but we can seriously speculate with good reason. I mean, who would really admit that they were on the phone when they got into an accident?!

So it sure looks like those hands-free bluetooth devices are going to see a spike in sales. I very much dislike them though. First of all, if you don't have a job or business that requires you to be on the phone at every moment, why use one of those goofy looking, isolated ear attachments or headsets?! Even those bluetooth talk to/talk back devices in your car can never understand who you want to call anyways... RIGHT?!

Me: "Call Dad, Mobile"
Bluetooth Device: "Did you say: Call, Jon Patterson?"
Me: "NOOOOOOO, you STUPID piece of $%*&!" (I didn't say exactly this, but this is what I was feeling)

Also, there is another side of the argument in which you could say that there are many other things in your vehicle to distract you while driving... which is true! But com'on, let's face it, the cellphone factor clearly stands out and is understandably being dealt with.

Stay safe on the road, and remember, safety is it's own reward!

All Work... Yet, All Play

Well, I'm two and a half weeks into my second summer as a painter and I think it's time to share some of my experience thus far. I'm really enjoying it, it's a super laid back crew of my boss, a part-time co-worker, and I. Nope, my co-worker is not my boy Malech this time (good times last year; check past summer posts)! This year I have the privilege to work with Ray, or as I like to call him: Uncle Ray. No, Ray is not a real uncle of mine, but he is old enough to be, and basically acts as a fun uncle figure anyways. The only difficult thing with Uncle Ray, is that he can have quite the negative outlook on life... I try to steer away from those conversations. Other than that, he makes me laugh, so I'm happy and it also keeps the job interesting. He loves to talk about his cooking. The other day during lunch, he started talking about how he found a place that didn't have chickens under 13 pounds in weight. It'd be enough for two meals for his family and he'd throw the carcass in the freezer overnight to save it for soup the next day... This was totally out of the blue! You should hear him talk about his chili and also how he gets his two kids to eat vegetables. Trust me, it's hilarious and definitely entertaining (ask me if you really want to know).

Every house we've been at has had a specific "thing" that is just abnormal. For the first week's house, there was just an excessive amount of dust EVERYWHERE! It was the dustiest house I have ever been in. When we turned off an overhead fan, the amount of dust on each blade was an inch thick (the fan never turned back on, once it stopped, it died). It was sickening. What's more, is that the owner is an interior designer and there were a lot of paintings and decorative wall art all over the house. You would think that she'd keep her house clean because of that. But nope, cobwebs EVERYWHERE! We even got blamed for leaving the bedroom doors open because "our" dust and such filth ventured in them. Jeezaloo!

The next week I spent a day on Wellington Crescent at a ritzy penthouse complex with whole floor suites. We were painting one of the suite's library. The abnormal thing about it, was that everything in the suite was priceless in value! I mean, there were golden animal statues in each corner of every room!

Today we finished doing a house's exterior for this elderly, Dutch couple. Two things: 1) They must be very patriotic; we painted all their shutters bright orange (they're getting ready for the World Cup!), and 2) They LOVE birds. Let me tell you about the latter... You walk into the backyard and the first thing you see is a luxurious bird house on a fifteen foot tall pole. Next, you walk into the garage and the first thing you see is a large, vintage Pepsi Cola cooler. You then open the cooler, and the first thing you see is bird seed filled up to the brim! I could not paint for a second without hearing a bird in that backyard, whether it be the flapping of their wings, their chirping of joy, or their chirping of anger because of cross-species bickering. I even turned around and almost fell off my ladder because I saw a hanging fake parrot in the window! Ya, Malech wouldn't have been able to work at that place (bird phobia).

Oh ya, one last thing: There is always one small dog in each neighbourhood that never SHUTS UP!

So that's a short summary of what my job has been like so far. I love how I meet new people and have to head to a new and different work space each week. It's great. Hopefully there are more unreal stories to come!

~~~

Before I started this entry, I was instructed by Josh Dyck, through a Skype call, to write well... I hope this post met your expectations, and thank you for the inspiring words.

BLACK, the MAG

I've had this shout-out on deck for sometime now, and here it is... (I know... lame joke)! Yes, this is a shout-out to Reims, a fellow blogger/concert crew member of mine. I know I'm a few giant steps behind with my entry promises, but again... (in a high Jack Black vocal) STEP OFF!

For Reims' media practicum, she set out on a mission to design and produce an "arts" magazine that focused on what is considered "artistic" these days. From fashion, to dining, to dance, to novels, to music, to photography, it's got it ALL covered! Keep on the look out for...

Read the whole thing here: BLACK Magazine

I knew it was going to be good, but I it turned out to be legit, legit! Yes, it is double legitimate because it is that good. I, however, did not realize it was going to become an actual hard copied magazine, so bravo for making a super, profesh product. I am also honoured that I was able to be a part of this project. Reims asked me to write an article reviewing the Craig Cardiff concert that I attended a while back. It was convenient because I had to write one for my music class at UofM anyways! Merci beaucoup BLACK, for my published writing breakthrough! I was even portrayed with Cam F. as being a part of a successful musical duo, set to release an EP on iTunes. Wow, this much inclusion and involvement is truly special. Thanks again.

Side note: I'm sorry for this interjection, but this is too unreal to not talk about... I don't know if I'm the only one who would realize this at all, BUT, notice the three R's in the title: Craig Cardiff & Friends!? I believe they symbolize the three words to a certain song my dad wrote... RED RIVER RISIN'! Coincidence, I think NOT! ...You tell me, Reims.

Anyways, way to go Reims, I hope you received full marks for your amazing mag. Hopefully there are more issues to come! I'd gladly participate (hint, hint).

On the subject of magazines... Who knew that my dad actually just had a published article in Esprit, a women's Lutheran magazine!? Yes, this is true. I guess I AM following in his footsteps!

~~~

Life update: Alright, I thought I was going to be blogging consistently once school was finished, but it turns out that I've been worn down with work, coaching soccer, playing on two soccer teams, youth at my Church, and socializing. At least I'm actually getting one thing done that I said I was going to do: I really am limiting my "screens" time!

More to come, and more often it shall...

Stay tuned, PLEASE!

Seeing STARS

I have finally seen my favourite band (as of right now) LIVE! I waited three years for last night's show. Stars was spectacular and they definitely lived up to my expectations. Let me just say that they are phenomenal live. I mean, they were literally and perfectly in-tune ALL night! Their harmonies were purely joyous (I gave shouts of excitement every time I felt their soothing, harmonious vibes). It's a great feeling to experience musicians who give their all during their performances and who really care about the music that they produce. Torquil Campbell's (the co-lead singer of the band) face was strained with passion the WHOLE night; it was quite incredible. I'm so glad that I hyped them up as much as I did because I knew it was going to be such a solid concert. Wow... seriously, my description does not do it justice.

The show started about two hours late, and as a result there was no opening performance from Colpitts (whoever they/he/she might be). Stars kindly apologized later on and made up for it by playing an hour and forty-five minutes straight without taking a break before their encore!

Side note: I can't believe how down to earth they were. Torq, while waiting for everybody to get into the venue, actually DJ'd for the crowd and interacted with us, playing some random but awesome tunes from his Macbook (with an apple bong snack on the side). He most likely played the songs that truly inspire his musical writing talents; he was defs focused and in the zone prior to the show!

They first played through their new album The Five Ghosts, entirely from start to finish. It is set to be released on June 22nd. Trust me, get the album!! There is nothing better than hearing a band's new album live first before it hits the shelves. I had the same privilege with Metric's Fantasies. You just appreciate the album SO MUCH MORE! I cannot wait to purchase (yes, purchase) The Five Ghosts, it was truly UNREAL! For Stars' encore, they actually had us fans vote online for the set list! They dished out an unbelievable combo of faves; here's the incredible list: "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead", "The Night Starts Here" (we were apparently the only city to vote for this one, they seemed to enjoy that), "Take Me To The Riot", "Elevator Love Letter" (I went nuts), "Heart", "One More Night (Your Ex-Lover Remains Dead)", "Ageless Beauty", "Calender Girl", and a performance of "Tonight" by Torq and Chris (the keyboardist) for their unplanned second encore!

Side note: Throughout the show they mentioned that they were in Earls watching the Habs game earlier (they're from Montreal... it's a fair excuse). My concert crew and I were in Earls before the show as well! Though, I don't really know if they were there at the same time as us. Ha, they probably went in as we left to go to the show! We went for eight:fifteen (we thought we were late) and the concert didn't start until around ten!

They also shouted out to Neil Young, the Winnipeg Jets (stupid Glendale City Council), and The Weakerthans. They were also very appreciative, thanking Winnipeg for being an amazing fan base, and thanking us for supporting them throughout their ten years. As Reims' said, they are completely genuine and humble musicians, making a living from what they love to do! Thank YOU, Stars! Check out their revamped website: youarestars.com!!!

(from left to right: Pat McGee, Chris Seligman, Amy Millan, Evan Cranley, and Torquil Campbell)

p.s. Got a shirt... LOVE IT! Also, I wish I had pictures from the concert, but at the same time, I'm happy that I could solely focus on enjoying the music and the experience!



Cheers!

Mum's the Word

More like Mom's are the best. I dedicate this entry to my mother on this essential mother's day. Shout out to mom's all over the world, for they love, care, and comfort unconditionally. I am very grateful for my Mom. I can't believe the amount of things she does for our family. I definitely do not show enough appreciation and should strive to do so, more often. Cheers to you, Mom! ... Love you!

p.s. STARS concert is TOMORROW!! Cannot wait!

Busy Weekend?

... Yes.

So, this is my first weekend since I've started work again and it looks like I won't be able to kick back and rest at all. Tonight we have our annual all-nighter at Youth. All the things that we have planned is already enough to make me sigh with fatigue, but I know it'll be a blast! Saturday I have a tennis sesh [session] (haven't done that in ages) planned in the afternoon, then most likely a supper/hockey hangout and then a party, party hangout (shout out to Kris Saint once again). Who even knows how late that will go!? Then Sunday I have TWO soccer games! One at 7pm and the other at 9pm... Jeezalooooo! I shall be exhausted. But first, I must go coach a soccer game right now.

On another note, I went to the provincial court office today to receive my fine for driving with an invalid/expired license ("It's Just a Shortcut..." remember?)! Well, thankfully I just got a slap on the wrist and had to pay a fine of $100! Phew... the judicial justice of peace guy said that I could have been fined up to $2000! I'm so glad that I had no prior tickets! Stay safe out there on those roads kids!

Life Lesson #1: Safety is it's own reward.
Life Lesson #2: It pays to have a clean record.

There you go, TWO life lessons in ONE entry! Wow, that's a first, and I'm definitely considering this a milestone.

~~~

Anyways, I really need to get going... You also may be wondering when that Olympic Fever mini series is going to premier, right?! Patience, my friends. It'll come in due time!

Life Lesson #3: Patience is a virtue.

What, three life lessons?! Well, I could say a fourth... Nah, three's a charm... (get it?)

Stay tuned!

Interview with Royal Canoe!

Alright, so I'm finally getting to this post, and wow, it's been a few weeks. I meant to post this on the 16th of April! I know that this is a been-there,-seen-that type post to some of my blogging peeps, but hey, I'm proud of this moment and I want to archive it as a Life Lesson! So STEP OFF *as a high Jack Black vocal*! Anyways, here we go...

Eric, Cam, Jill, and I checked out the newly renovated WECC back in mid April, as we attended Courtney Wing's CD release show. Royal Canoe opened though, and that's who we really went to see. Cam and I actually talked with and interviewed a couple of our favourite musicians from Royal Canoe (they're also both in The Waking Eyes, which is an unreal band as well)! We had a pretty long and stellar convo! Here are the two solid vids that Cam beautifully put together, check this OWT:

Royal Canoe (West End Cultural Centre) Part 1 from Cam F. on Vimeo.

Royal Canoe (West End Cultural Centre) Part 2 from Cam F. on Vimeo.

p.s. Shout out to my boy Caleb Screpnek for moving into the city and also for apparently giving me a shout out on his blog! Check out the Chronic-what-cles of Caleb right now (I added the SNL - Lazy Sunday reference...NBD)!

Drained

What's with this weather in Winnipeg? I can't even recall the last time it was this rainy four days in a row. This definitely has to do with the way I'm feeling right now, that's for sure. I feel drained, just plain old drained. It's like I feel dull or at least not sharp, one might say. My thoughts are clouded... (I can't even think of another way to describe it, that's how dull I'm feeling). Hmm, this doesn't seem healthy; what's wrong with me? Could it be the mistake of having my radio alarm clock set to Hot 103 and waking up to an overly repetitive Britney Spears or Hedley song every morning? ... Most likely! Seriously, every day I wake up to an annoying song on the radio. I get pissed off instantly and smash the snooze button, all the while cursing at my radio and the awful music it was just playing. That's not a healthy way to start your day. That's why I've switched my wake-up station to CBC radio; every morning is different now! I woke up this morning to a beautiful classical piano piece. That's more like it! However, I still wanted to sleep, so I pressed the snooze button (I tend to do that a lot), non-violently this time, and 10 mins later I woke up to a pleasant conversation about how people can feel better about their day! Wow, this is what I was aching to hear. Apparently, being outside is the best method for feeling better. Okay, that makes sense and somewhat should be common sense, but this is the kicker: Especially when you are by a body of water. Well then, that sounds a lot like my backyard (see main blog picture above)! Now I just have to spend more time in it.
I've also heard about a study on texting and daily moods. The amount of texting you do in a day is directly proportional to how negatively you feel. Makes sense, I've just realized that I text way too much. When I text too much in a day or in a short period of time, it's true, I feel frustrated and distraught! Plus, "screens" are what most people spend their time with these days, it's kind of disappointing once you really think about it. I'm going to try and reasonably limit my time on "screens" from this point onwards. It'll be hard because I love watching sports (especially playoffs, which is right now), video games, and blogging so much! Bah... I'll still try.

Although, maybe I'm just feeling drained because I haven't been busy during the day at all this week. I start my painting job at Chromatic Painting again tomorrow, so it'll be nice to work and make some full-time, steady money! I also start my outdoor soccer season this evening and I can't wait! I've joined a summer indoor team as well, so I'll be having a doubled fix of my favourite sport this summer! While I'm on the subject, here are my two newest soccer purchases:

My Tottenham Hotspur Crouch kit finally came in this last week! It took almost a month due to ordering it from a Scottish online store and having the Icelandic volcano halt air traffic for so long... but now it's mine, and I'm loving it (yes, Crouch is on the back of it). My other purchase is my new Nike T3 CT turf cleats you see there; my boy Malech picked them out for me (thanks bro). Sixty bucks for a pair of sweet Nike boots? Yes, please! Sweet colours too, the inner side of the boot has a turquoise Nike check mark as opposed to the dark blue one on the outter side. So PUMPED!

To sign this entry off, I have a tasty treat for ya. This came to my attention while I was driving home from St. Paul (Minneapolis) last weekend. Remember Blur? ... Does "Song 2" ring a bell? You know, the sweet song from that super old but awesome Labatt Blue commercial! Yes, the 4 members of Blur have finally recorded together again, which hasn't happened since their 2003 album!! I'm actually a big fan of this new single. It's definitely grown on me. Here it is, check it OUT: Fool's Day.

p.s. I danced my heart out at a friend's wedding social last night. There were a plenty of dance circles. It was joyous.

Peace.