To start - Firda and I have been pretty busy these last couple of months. First of all in June we took a week and half off and travelled the Northern Peninsula in Newfoundland with my parents. Newfoundland is the last province for me to visit (and no I haven't been to the territories yet). We spent the majority of our time around L'Anse Aux Meadows (where a North American viking settlement was discovered in the 1960s) and in Gros Morne National Park (which is amazing with lots of great hiking trails). During our trip we saw boatloads of wildlife - the final animal count was: Moose 33, Minke Whales 2, Caribou 4, Bald Eagles 3, Coyote 1, Osprey or Falcon 3, and possibly seals (the pictures will have to be checked on that one). We also saw 4 or 5 icebergs during our time around L'Anse Aux Meadows. It was an amazing trip and I really want to go back to see more of the island.

Then a week and a half after getting back from that vacation I had the annual cottage weekend with 17 friends up at my parents cottage. We spent the Canada Day long weekend hanging out, eating, swimming, drinking and just generally being lazy. Thank the lord we built the bunkie so we can accomodate that many people.

Plus Firda and I have started Geocaching. We picked up a Garmin handheld GPS about 3 weeks ago (just before the cottage weekend) and currently have 23 finds to our name. It's a way to get us outdoors and have some fun while doing it.

Other than that we've been catching up on all the new TV and old shows we didn't have time to watch. We've start watching Game of Thrones Season 1 - which is quite different than I thought it would be (I was thinking more along the lines of a cheesy Xena/Hercules kind of show), Falling Skies (which is apparently filmed about an hour from where we live - reminds me a lot of the Walking Dead), True Blood (I enjoy it but I'm not sure why), Breaking Bad (just plain great), and the Killing. Once we catch up on all that I'm sure Dexter will start and then the Walking Dead.

And let me tell you about the weather. 30+ Celsius temperatures are horrible and have been hitting us for the last week. Unfortunately there are no signs of letting up. Plus several of the nights don't drop lower than 20 Celsius so I can foresee sleeping being difficult in the coming days. Stupid summer. I can't wait for the fall.

Boring post eh? Oh well. That's what you get from me these days.

The day of the oath I took the day off of work - for lunch we met up with my parents, two of my aunts and one uncle. They also accompanied Firda at her citizenship ceremony - of which I believe Firda had the largest support posse. The ceremony was interesting with the "citizenship judge" keeping the atmosphere light and joyous. After his opening statements everyone said the oath, recieved their citizenship documentation from the judge, signed the required documents and sang "O Canada".

Following the ceremony we headed over to the passport office (which is just around the corner from where the ceremony took place). 15 minutes later and Firda's passport application was in. A week and a day later she recieved it. We can now official travel outside of Canada without having to worry about getting a visa for her. We haven't made plans on travelling outside of the country yet but we will at some point in the future.

The very first show of the previews is the musical Camelot, which we were lucky enough to get cheap tickets for. The cast was star-studded with many veteran Stratford actors/actresses and a handful of actors/actresses who are having their debut season.

The musical is based on T.H. White's novel "The Once and Future King" which I've read and enjoyed. Camelot covers the section of King Arthur's life from the night before his wedding to Guinevere to the repercussions of her running off with Sir Lancelot.

While the acting was quite good I just wasn't drawn into the story. The songs were rather boring - with the exception of a couple of the more exciting tunes. The majority of the songs were slower romantic songs - which typically involved one or two people. Compared with the other musicals we've seen at Stratford (including West Side Story, Evita, Kiss Me Kate) the choreography was much more reserved than we expected. As well several of the actors/actresses that we were excited about seeing in this play had very very small parts and only appeared on stage for a couple of minutes (specifically Bruce Dow and Lucy Peacock).

In all - the acting was superb as is expected from the Stratford Shakespeare company but the music and choreography were lacking. While I'm sure there are many people who would love this musical, it just wasn't for us. I have great hopes for the rest of the season which I know will not disappoint.

Next weekend is "The Grapes of Wrath" which should be great (in a depressing kind of way).

Edit: The live animals (the hawk and the shaggy dog) used during the play were great!

First thing - over two weeks ago I was in Kitchener, Ontario. I was stopped at a stop light when I heard a screeching sound behind me and then the sudden impact of a car rear-ending me. The guy who rear-ended me was a 20 year old university student driving his Dad's 1994 BMW, which was in great shape. My car had to be towed back to Stratford and eventually I was told by the insurance company that it was a write-off. They gave me a cash settlement and we started the look for a new car. My poor little car, Syd (Six Years in Debt) was destined for car heaven. It was a sad day when Firda and I went to clean Syd out before the insurance company towed it away.

Thankfully my insurance company covered a car rental for close to two weeks. In this time Firda researched, we test drove and ultimately decided on the 2011 Honda Fit, which is another 5 door hatchback with amazing cargo space. We don't travel light so we need the space :) We picked up Fynd (Five Years New Debt) on Saturday and took him for a short drive to Kitchener (going through the intersection where Syd was killed.

On Friday we were invited to a taping of the Rick Mercer Report (a Canadian current event comedy show) by a friend who got tickets at the end of last year. I took the day off of work so Firda and I would be able to hang out in Toronto before the taping. We ended up hanging out on Queen Street (which is quite the hipster section of town). We had macaroons at Nadege Patisserie, checked out the Lomography store, viewed a couple of National Film Board animations at the NFB Mediatheque, visited the CBC Museum, and had food at Kama Indian Buffet.

The taping of the Rick Mercer report was very interesting and went smoothly (no need for more than one take). Though the meet and greet with Rick Mercer was even better. When Firda and I got up to Mr. Mercer he looked at Firda and asked "did you have Indian food tonight?". The first thing that came to my mind was "did one of us burp and did he smell it?", but he politely explained that he had read Firda's tweet from earlier that day when she tweeted "Will be spending today in TO. Will meet up with friends later for Indian dinner and then see @rickmercer report taping live at the CBC!". He let us know that he usually has about an hour of free time in his change room before the show and occasionally checks to see if anyone posts about being in the audience for the taping. He said that he recognized Firda from her pictures, and more specifically the shape of her glasses. That made our day/night.

The rest of the night was spent having a quick drink (non-alcoholic for me and Firda) at the Tiff Lightbox Blackberry Lounge before heading home.

All in all a great weekend. Lots of fun.

Firda and I enjoy watching Pawn Stars. It's on Sunday mornings at 10 in the morning and is a nice way to start what is typically a lazy day of us. Key parts of the show are likely staged but it doesn't feel like staged. The characters in the show, while occasionally annoying, are quite endearing and quite humorous. The reason I enjoy it is the variety of items that come into this particular pawn shops. I also enjoy the bargaining that goes on between the pawners and the pawnees.

Auction Kings doesn't have quite the draw that Pawn Stars has but is still enjoyable. An episode of the show starts with the either people bringing stuff to the auction house or one of the pickers going out and selecting items from estates that they think will sell. After determining the possible value of the item they hit the auction block. The show ends with all the items sold and the sellers reactions to the sale.

I just finished watching the second episode of Pawn Queens and this is the worst of the bunch. The show is clearly staged, all of the characters over-act and over-react to the situations they are in. The items that they buy and sell aren't as interesting as the stuff they buy in Pawn Stars. I'm thinking the horridness of the show is the production quality of the show and the fact that they try to inject too much drama into the show. I guess it is on TLC so their has to either be drama, dwarves or an inhuman family with a queen who can't stop procreating (i.e. the Duggars).

I know there is at least one more of this styles of show called "American Pickers", which I have not had a chance to watch.

So if any of these shows sound interesting I would go with Pawn Stars or Auction Kings - but stay stay stay away from Pawn Queens. Definitely not worth your time!

I've had this feeling several times in the past couple of weeks. I've had dreams about people who I use to be friends with or who I went to school with. When I wake up I wonder what they are up to, if they are happy, what type of person they are and if they ever think about me.

I've been missing my grandfather who passed away a couple years back. I was looking at a photo stream of his cousin and came across photos of him and my grandmother from the 1980s.

Either way. Just thinking and missing.

The Canadian songstress Basia Bulat made the pilgrimage to Foster's Inn in the middle of winter to brighten our night with songs that remind us of spring rains and summers nights. Firda and I first "discovered" Basia when she opened for Hayden at the Gig (Kitchener) on January 25, 2008. We had never heard of her before that night but ended up enjoying her set and pick up her first album at the merchandise stand.

Foster's Inn has been holding the Dinner Concert Series for at least two years (since we were lucky to see Royal Wood last year at the same venue). This time around we decided to go for the Dinner as well - since it assure you a seat plus the food is very very good. I decided on the bacon-wrapped chicken breast (stuffed with mushrooms, caramelized leeks and with a side of risotto), and Firda went with the pasta with bacon and P.E.I. mussels. Desert for me was apple crisp while Firda went with the Crème Brûlée. In all the meal was delicious and we were stuffed by the end of dessert.

Basia was just as amazing as the food. Since she only has two albums out she was able to run through most of the songs we were hoping to hear. She also covered a Polish song that she was currently enamoured with and played us a new song she has been working on. The set lasted for about an hour or so with one encore. After the show she talked with fans at the merchandise area and we ended up buying a record of her new album. She was kind enough to sign it and when she screwed up Firda's name took the time to correct it (she even offered to give us another album - which we declined). Out of all of the artists we have talked to after shows she was by far the most approachable and personable.

So go out now and buy her albums or check her music out on the CBC Radio 3 link provide here. You definitely won't be disappointed.

Of course the game isn't just about social interactions. It is first and foremost a first-person shooter. Many of the quests you pick up have you exploring desolate locations populated with irradiated creatures: including giant geckos, glowing radioactive ghouls, super mutants, nightkin and the like. Other quests have you collecting medicines, drugs or supplies to help the communities and outposts across the wastelands.

My addiction with this game comes from the amount of things that you can do in the game. There are around 200 locations that you can discover, around 100 quests with the multiple factions, and hundreds of items to collect.

The only problem I have with this game is the bugs that are part of it. I have at least one quest that I can't finish because of a bug. Thankfully it isn't an important mission.

Now how addicted to the game am I? I've likely but in about 40 hours over the past couple of months playing it. And with that I'm going to end this and get back to the game!

Step 1: In January, start blogging once a week.
Step 2: In March, start blogging twice a week.
Step 3: In May, start blogging three times a week.
Step 4: In July, start blogging four times a week.
Step 5: In September, start blogging five times a week.
Step 6: In November, start blogging six times a week. Unless you join the NaBloPoMo, in which case, you may want to take it a step further and start blogging every day of the week.

It seems like a pretty simple idea and I'm going to try my best. Six days a week seems like a little too much to me but we shall see.

If you are a lapsed or lapsing blogger check out and join Firda's Operation Blog Revival 2011 Facebook page! It's like a support group for slackers!

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is out on DVD and BluRay today!!!! Run out and get it (I haven't got it yet but I forgot it was Tuesday).

This movie is by far the best movie that I've seen all year! The nerd references, the battle scenes, the montages from the comic books. There was a smile on my face for the whole movie.

Do yourself a favour and grab this movie. Even if you saw it when it was out in theaters!

We weren't planning on going since the tickets had appeared to be sold out but CBC Radio 2 held a contest to win tickets to see Royal Wood at the location of your choosing. Firda entered and was one of three entries selected personnally by Royal to receive a pair of tickets to his show in Stratford.

The Loft on Downie was a new venue to us. We had heard of it before but tracking down the actual address on the web was impossible - I ended up having to call Stratford Tourism in order to get an address. We weren't sure what to expect but we were excited to see Royal again.

The Loft is actually someone's apartment who holds occasional concerts for a small audience. The audience was only about 40 to 50 - with people sitting on chairs, couches and standing at the back of the room. There were no bad seats since the back of the room was only a couple of meters from Royal Wood. There was even the "family" dog hanging out before the show - who barked with approval when the audience clapped.

As always the show was great. He played mostly from his newest album "The Waiting" but by this time we knew most of the songs since the album came out just before we saw him earlier this year (in May).

One more point of interest about the audience was the number of actors from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. There were at least two leads in the audience which was really cool to see them outside of the festival just having a good time.

Now we wait for our next chance to see Royal. Can't wait!

Something awesomely interesting happened at the beginning of the play. There was a power failure. The lights didn't die completely but went into "flashing" emergency mode. The actors, being professionals, went right along with the show - even with all the lights flashing. After the first musical number a stage hand came out and told us they had to pause the show for a couple of minutes while they tried to fix the problem. In most situations this would mean the audience would have to sit around and twiddle their thumbs for 20 to 30 minutes while they figured out what was wrong. Thankfully this play had Sean Cullen.

Sean kept us entertained for the whole 20 minutes before they could resume the play. He told stories, sang improvised songs, and most importantly had the audience laughing and clapping for the whole 20 minutes. This was pure magic. Sean was in his element. Improvising is his bread and butter. He has been doing it for his whole career starting with the comedy trio "Corky and the Juice Pigs" (which I had the pleasure of seeing about a half dozen times).

While the play was great and the other actors performed admirably the show was stolen by Sean's quick witted 20 minute improvised comedy show.

P.S.: I would definitely recommend going to see the show if you are in Stratford. I believe tickets are readily available. Just be warned that it is part musical, so if you don't enjoy musicals stay away! :)

The venue was the Old Roxy Theater, which as it's name suggests is an old movie theater converted to a concert venus. The theater only holds between 100 to 200 people which makes for a nice intimate evening. We ended up scoring front row right side seats which was cool but I don't think there was a bad seat in the house.

I didn't know what to expect out of a Hawksley Workman. I enjoy his music and I know he is a little eccentric, though I was afraid that he would be a little divaish and only play music with no connection/conversation with the audience. Boy was I wrong to worry. The music was phenomenal, even the new stuff that is not as known by the audience, and the stories were hillarious. He played off of the energy from the audience telling stories, telling jokes, occasionally making us scratch our heads trying to figure out what he was talking about. He would even break into stories in the middle of songs - while his buddy Todd Lumley ("Mr. Lonely") played accompaniment on the keyboards. The funniest story was about fusing drum solos with potato salad making (click here to see this song with the story that I took at the concert).

He even made references to being called Hawksley WORKSman by one of the old Roxy staffers who introduced him to the audience. A little inside joke for the people who were at the show :)

Since there was no opener we were treated to two hours of just Hawksley and Mr. Lumley. With one encore in which he played three songs selected by the audience.

He ended up playing many of my favorites and many new favorites from his albums including "Jealous of Your Cigarette", "You Me and the Weather", "Warhol's Portrait of Gretzsky", "Your Beauty Must Be Rubbing Off", "Tokyo Bicycle", "We Will Still Need a Song", "Autumn's Here", "Rain" just to name a few.

As an added surprise during "Autumn's Here" an audience member started playing his harmonica and Hawksley called him up on stage where they jammed for a while. The harmonica playing worked well with the song and Hawksley was really loving it and the audience enjoyed it as well - giving both Hawksley and the harmonica player a standing ovation at the end of the show.

Another Canadian artist off of the list - but this definitely will not be the last time I see Hawksley. Can't wait for the next time!

Thankfully my buddy SMooSH and his wife gave us their window rattler AC unit so we can at least cool down our sleeping area.

Don't get me wrong - temperatures of 30 degrees is okay, as long as it cools down to the mid-teens at night. When it's in the mid-twenties at night we aren't given any time for things to cool down.

Oh well. It looks like either Friday or Saturday that things will cool down at night. Hopefully the humidity breaks soon.

As my long time readers may remember Firda and I saw Ms. Harmer in October of 2006 in Orillia, Ontario, which was a tour to promote her last album "I'm a Mountain". Four years was a long time to wait but she didn't disappoint. She played a lot of her new stuff while mixing in many of her more popular older songs, and we were very happy to have her play our favourite songs.

The venue was very nice as well. A small intimate setting with not a bad seat in the house. We ended up in the third row immediately in front of the talented keyboardist Julie Fader (whom I admit to having a little crush on - and have seen in concert with Sarah and the Great Lake Swimmers a total of four times now). The banter between the band members and the audience made the night even more magical. Plus the opening band "Colleen and Paul" were exceptionally apt at setting the mood for the main event.

My only peeve about the show is that the audience gave up after the first encore. I know the band were willing to come out for a second encore but the older population of the audience decided they needed to go home and sleep. Heck it took the venue a good 30 to 40 seconds to turn the lights on - which meant they weren't planning on doing that. Though this was a minor issue and didn't ruin the night for me.

Here's hoping that the next album doesn't take 5 years to emerge and the next time we get to see Ms. Harmer in concert is even sooner.