Miss me?

You may be wondering why I've been MIA these past couple of weeks... Well, leaving one job to start another has kept me pretty busy. I'm not complaining, but I know you've all missed me dearly and it is for you that I feel deep, burning pain. Time is of the essence, and for now I'm running out.

So with that, I leave you with a few thoughts:


Sheila Fraser and John Cusack are on The Hour with (your boyfriend) George Stroumboulopoulos tonight. She's a heck of a leader, an incredible role model and she has the most infectious laugh you'll ever hear. He's a leading man who stole my heart as early as the 80s, with credits that include High Fidelity and Gross Point Blank (and, for the cheesy at heart, Serendipity - I love that word).

The National Arts Centre has just launched Quebec Scene, a spotlight on the arts in Quebec. From April 20 to May 5, Ottawa/Gatineau will get a chance to see an incredible roster of artitsts, from The Stills to Oliver Jones, and even La la la Human Steps. Seven hundred artists, 16 days. Cool.

Mind your salami and your frozen crème brûlée. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has warned that two brands of these foods may have been contaminated. How much more proof do you need to know, in your heart of hearts, that pre-packaged food are bad news?


So there you have it. I hope to be back soon. Bye, babies.


Note from the editor: You may be wondering why I haven't touched on the ever-so-obvious topic of Britney's hair, or lack thereof. I just don't know what to say. Les mots me manquent...

Green Ties

Instead of doing something about the dire state of the environment, the Conservative government has been hammering the former Liberal government for not “getting the job done.” Change was in the air last month when the PM shuffled his Cabinet to move former Treasury Board President John Baird to the environment portfolio.

So what has Baird done to clean up his government’s act? Well, we’re not sure yet. Actually, he’s not sure either. He knows what he doesn’t like: Kyoto (the agreement, not the city), a carbon tax and, of course, the previous government. He doesn’t want to be too tough on industry, fearing an economic collapse similar to Russia’s. And this morning, while testifying before a Commons Committee, he couldn’t even say how much his government has spent on fighting climate change.

But he has been wearing a green tie. How festive.

Canada’s New Government (come on, guys… it’s been over a year… you’ve lost your right to call yourselves the new guys by now) hasn’t done much for our environment. Instead, they’ve bitched about what happened to greenhouse gas emissions under the Liberal reign (They went up – high up – but let’s remember we also got ourselves out of a recession too!) and discussed creating environmental programs very similar to the Liberal programs they cut just a few months ago.

Take a hint from your awful electoral-sounding ads, Conservatives, and make sure you don’t end up not getting the job done, either.

_______________

I haven’t talked about your buddy George Stroumboulopoulos in a while. But on last night’s The Hour, The Strombo said some stuff that struck a chord deep within my proverbial guitar. He gave viewers a lesson on the much-needed balance between current affairs/news and pop culture on the show, explaining how important that balance is when most of your viewers take their cues from the pop culture icons they admire.

True.

But do they take their cues from Britney and K-Fed because they have something important to say? Is it because they really, really want to, out of sheer admiration? Or maybe it’s because their access to Hollywood is much broader and easier than their access to local, provincial, national and international affairs? My money’s on the latter.

Knowing all about Lindsay Lohan's most recent trip to rehab, Paris Hilton’s new-found support of PETA (a noble cause, nonetheless), or Michael Jackson’s pet monkey is all very interesting stuff. But does it really matter?

Call me old-fashioned, but I think that helping our fellow citizens own the choices they make when choosing leaders, and making sure they hold those leaders to account is extremely important. Sure, our culture doesn’t work that way yet, but who says we can’t be agents of change?

Having a platform like The Hour is a true gem. I’m not saying they should cut all references to pop culture from the show. I’m just saying that this balance George speaks of should be representative of the importance of the topic. Come on, Georgie, I know you love that Lindsay Lohan, but be an agent of change and let her go.

Lainey, my new BFF

Ok. So Lainey and I don't actually know each other. But I have crowned her my new best friend because she's the Queen of gossip, and she hates Tom Cruise. The latter makes us kindred spirits, for sure.

The words "Tom" and "Cruise" don't often make it into her daily gossip dish. Instead, Lainey refers to him as the Gay Midget Dwarf. Priceless. In this recent post, Lainey refers to Katie (Kate?) as Robobride. Love it.

Check out her post and the links she provides to J-Lo's Superbowl party for odd clips of TomKat looking awkward and weird. Here's an excerpt:

"I’m telling you…it’s f*ckin’ weird. And while I know I’m biased, while I know I can’t stand that raving lunatic and his lobotomized bride, I’ve no doubt even the most indifferent gossips will watch these and feel a smutty tingle, if not an overwhelming sense of discomfort."

I encourage you familiarize yourself with Laney's Gossip Guide, for information on the Love List, the Fraud List, the Hollywood Slut Brigade and other endearing terms for your favourite celebrities.

Oh, and Tom? The aliens called. They want their mock-turtleneck back.

Poor K-Fed...

I never thought I'd say this... Never in my life... Forgive me for the words I am about write... But, K-Fed is funny.

Ok, K-Fed's not that funny, but the marketing people at Nationwide sure are. And they're brilliant, too.

Watch this 30-second Superbowl ad.




For other Superbowl 2007 commercials, click here.

Drama, drama, drama...

As I hope you’ve noticed, I haven’t been writing as regularly as I used to. I’ve been pondering the thought, all-the-while scratching my chin, trying to figure out what is wrong with me. I am uninspired and I don’t know why.

Last night, I think I had an epiphany: there is no drama in my life. Could it be that, similarly to passionate, disturbed, emotional artists, I need drama in my life to feel inspired? Is it possible that this usually cold, unemotional, cold-hearted girl actually thrives off emotion? And if that’s true, wouldn’t it be true for everyone?

I have noticed, especially since I moved downtown a few years ago, that when there’s something up with me, be it good or bad, I am more likely to go on long, solitary walks, frequent coffee shops, take out the ol’ SLR, pick up my guitar, and write. But I’ve always held on to the idea that I was free to be creative whenever I wanted to be, drama or not.

Don’t get me wrong: I like this drama-dry spot I’m in. I’m sleeping well, not abusing of any substances or people and I am able to concentrate on healthier aspects of my life.

But couldn’t it be true that a little drama goes a long way?

All of that being said, I think I need to start thinking about other ways to feel inspired.

First step: stop watching so much damned O.C. on DVD. I think it’s stunting my emotional growth.

And I quote... Part Deux

"I love science, and it pains me to think that so many are terrified of the subject or feel that choosing science means you cannot also choose compassion, or the arts, or be awed by nature. Science is not meant to cure us of mystery, but to reinvent and reinvigorate it."

Robert Sapolsky, Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers

My SUV is killing me.

Tonight, American President George W. Bush is expected to deliver his 2007 state of the union address. The big question is: what will he talk about? Iraq? Been there! National security? Done that! So what’s left? Ah yes, the hot (pun intended) topic of global warming.

As we know, The Dubbya is from Texas, a state known as the oil state of the U.S. He’s also the one who has his nose (butt?) in the Middle East to “protect America’s fuel resources”. And now, he’s BFF with Stephen Harper, the Calgarian in charge of our country who’s pushing the Alberta oil sands production. (Well, he probably wouldn’t say so. But we know so… Right, Ralph Klein? Wink.)
So what could the ol’ Prez be saying? Believe or not, the country that brought us the Hummer will be asking its citizens to cut their gasoline consumption by 20% by 2017. Isn’t it ironic?

So on the one hand, we’ve got the President’s request. And on the other hand, we have the eventual target of producing five hundred million barrels of crude oil per day in Alberta. And guess where most of that oil will go? (If you guessed the U.S. of A., you’re right. You get a lollipop.)

I’m actually at a loss for words…

Unusual, I know.

So where’s the sense in that? It’s as far from commonsensical as it gets. I don’t know. Somebody help me out, here.

YES! We should reduce our gasoline consumption. YES! We, as a people need to do whatever it takes to protect the planet we live on and so often take for granted. Bush serious about curbing global warming? I don’t believe it; not for a second.

Give me the organic, pesticide-free, Birkenstock-wearing Dubbya and maybe I’ll buy it. We can call him Birken-Bush. Now THAT’S a legacy.

Note from the author: About the title... I don't actually have an SUV. Just thought I'd make that clear.