the slipping state of macho

Damn. I simply could not have found a better link.

In the last few weeks of Other Freds, I was travelling on good ol' public transit to better accomodate my work schedule, my dog's schedule and my SigOther's schedule. As a result, I was reminded what a gold mine of oddness the average every-day morning commute can be.

Within the first few days back on the train, I noted a change in the male commuter. They were still all sizes and shapes. Their dress was still ranging from downtown boutique to auto-shop chic. Facial hair, piercings, tattoos and shoes were all over the map. What seemed to unite these seemingly disparate creatures was: The Purse.

Yes, the purse. Not a courier bag. Not a laptop bag. Not a fanny pack or even a "murse". These men of all ilks were unabashedly carrying what can only be described as purses. Fake logos and all. [The link above currently shows a couple's legs with a tote next to the, presumably, more masculine pair.]

Now, not that there's anything wrong with that. Far from it! I'm glad that some guys have finally realised the simple and pure ease of putting all one's stuff into a bag designed for such a purpose instead of endlessly cramming items into various and sundry pockets and causing, not only pocket repair woes but, lower back woes from sitting on their chronically lumpy asses.

I was, in the past few weeks, simply struck by the vast array of commuter-men carrying purses, some of whom, one would think, may have appeared more frequently with a beer cooler full of Wild Cat [pbth]. I guess that just goes to show the worth of what one may think.

Well, congrats, men, for organising your stuff. I'm proud of you.

Now, a few of you just need help co-ordinating.

or not

Apparently my browbeating techniques are remarkably lame or completely backfired as Ashley, for whatever bizarre freak of nature, received the least number of votes on Tuesday night.

Was I expecting her, hands-down, to win the entire Idol?? No - that'd've been way too unfair a claim to make for such an unpredictable show, and she was up against some stiff talent. Should she have gone home last night? Absolutely not. I was anticipating a top 5 or 6 level before it became a complete free-for-all.

Most disappointing, but there it is.

Hi, my name is Jenn and I watch Canadian Idol

Yes, I've watched in years past and yes, I'm watching again this year.

But, this year, I have an excuse.

Through several degrees of separation, I'm aquainted with one of the contestants who is now one of the remaining top nine and has the voice et al to go on so very much further.

[warning: sales pitch and/or browbeating will now ensue]

So, if you're inclined to watch the show Tues nights (check your local listings!) and agree that Ashley Leitao indeed kicks ass [which she does, so, don't worry, you'll agree] then kindly phone in your vote for her after the show.

Really. Seriously.

Thanking all kind voters in advance,

[sales pitch and/or browbeating over]

links, they are a changin'

Sidebar updates:

1. After a long, commendable run, during which I often cursed, hit things and ate tylenol like candy while baby-stepping html, freezing the computer and butchering formats, I have deleted my LabGP's Home website. I have been converted to the land of Blog and could see no reason to let my dear old site to suffer in stagnation.

2. I've added Mark Sylvester's site to the Other Pages. He was the musical director [hope that's the correct term...] for Other Freds, despite the fact that he's from DC and Other Freds was not. Regardless, he's just an incredibly cool guy who put together a kick ass score and has a truly gorgeous voice to boot. So, go visit his site.

3. In the BlogRoll, a few pages have been removed because, like LabGP's Home, they hadn't been updated in eons. So, bye to lawfulgal and Sur-Reality. I'll check in on them every now and then and, if they start posting again, I'll put them back up. On another note, Orange Quark has joined forces with a few cohorts and formed Cosmic Variance [Orange Quark's a cooler name but, despite my personal and temperamental naming biases, the stuff at Cosmic Variance thus far has made for much good reading].

I think that's it for now. I'm off to enjoy the rest of my Sunday.

happy belated!

aawww...

a thought gone further off track... is now a year old!

That's actually pretty wild, when I think about it. I've had web pages for years now (and am actually contemplating bringing down my GeoCities site due to my sheer laziness - I haven't done any upkeep in a long time) but posting here for a year with even vague regularity is not too shabby.

Having said that, more regular posting should be returning this weekend. Other Freds is nearly finished its run (Saturday night is your last chance to see it!) so I'll have my evenings back. I've been accumulating blog thoughts and I'll start working my way through them shortly!

I'm off

Not really. I'm just mostly incommunicato for the next three weeks. Things'll be busy with Other Freds (check out the link above), so I may not be around as much as I'd like.

Wish me warm, dry weather and I'll see you in a few weeks!

more photos that I didn't get to take

or...

a cloudy cameraless Canada Day on Granville Island.


After negotiating a parking space at 1pm on a holiday Friday (that's worth a whole blog post unto itself), I sat on the boardwalk sipping my skim milk medium vanilla latte, purchased from an independent coffee shop (yes, a few of those still exist). The steps I snagged for a seat were facing False Creek and almost directly under Granville Street bridge, giving me an amazing series of views for the thirty-some-odd minutes that I awaited the arrival of my friend, her cousin and her two little dogs. It was not raining, but partly cloudy - perfectly so for non-glaring photographs. I know this because of the plethora of photographers out and about. But did I think to bring my camera? No. So, here are another list of photographs that you will not be seeing:

- the steel supports of the bridge, framing a receding row of the cranes, concrete, glass and steel that make up the Yaletown condos.

- an aged fishing boat, raised out of the water and resting between the boardwalk and the bridge support, named "Relief"

- numerous yachts, sailboats, kayaks, motorboats and canoes. And aquabuses full of tacky tourists and, often tackier, locals

- the carved columns of the Burrard Street bridge, viewed behind sail boat masts

- adorable kids aplenty, guys in business suits with Canadian flags in their breast pockets and non-Canadians wearing more maple leaf imprinted clothing and flags than, I think, any Canadian actually owns.

- innumerable seagulls, pigeons and ducks

- the jazz festival's free outdoor stages, with snazzy bands and their upright basses (the coolest instrument EVER)

- a little kid in full Darth Vader regalia (and a Canadian flag)

At this point, I probably would have run out of space on the camera and/or batteries.

Happy (end of) Canada Day!