Day 711: That Sweet, Sumptuous Slush

originally published December 11, 2013 Whilst wandering the school grounds during recess, pondering the lunacy of those hearty Edmonton settlers who determined that this frozen hellscape would somehow not be a ludicrous place to plop down a new town, I noticed a boy in my grade who was eating snow from his be-mittened hand. “Enrique,” […]

Day 710: Wolfgang Pauli – Physicist, Genius, Breaker Of Stuff

originally published December 10, 2013 Do you sometimes feel as though you’re haunted by bad mojo? Do you sense a crinkly shadow slurping up your footsteps, stalking you with hand-wringing deviousness and an insidious yen to muck up your days with the swift slap of a paranormal brute? Well, I have good news for you. […]

Day 709: Crowding ‘Round The Stage Door

originally published December 9, 2013 I’ve got a picture, with me on the left, and beside me is singer/songwriter/reality show judge Ben Folds, one of my favorite talents in all three of his fields. On the right, there’s a groupie. Not one of Ben’s – she’s actually one of those women who gets all swoon-tastic […]

Day 708: Beware The Deadly Hypotenuse

originally published December 8, 2013 As a life-long cynic and devoted doubter of lore and mystery, I find myself always checking the sleeves of an unexplained tale, searching for my card anywhere but inside the deck. I don’t poke under my bed for ghouls, nor do I hold my breath as I drive past a […]

Day 707: Live From The Internet, It’s (All About) Saturday Night!

originally published December 7, 2013 Some topics are simply too large to fit into a thousand words. When Wikipedia’s magic Randombulator dumped me on the page for Saturday Night Live, I struggled with how to approach a thousand-word breakdown of a 39-season-long show that has somehow affected or entertained nearly everyone in the known universe […]

Day 706: One-Thousand Word Rock!

originally published December 6, 2013 If someone were to stop me on the street (or some other such location where I’d be removed from easy access to my braintrust, the internet) and ask me how a Canadian bill becomes a law, I’d have no idea. I know we have a legislative branch, and that there […]

Day 705: Legends Of Urbania

originally published December 5, 2013 The beauty of the Internet Age is how information – or more entertainingly, misinformation – oozes like honey-sludge, coating the globe in a glossy sheen of non-truths and insidious punks. Mischievous urban legends have been inspiring tizzies for as long as there have been folks around to lend their ears, […]

Day 704: The Angel Of Budapest

originally published December 4, 2013 After trudging through a kilograph of hatred, bigotry and anti-Semitism yesterday, my soul needs a purge, a forceful injection of positivity. While there is undoubtedly a trough of sludge and sentient filth mucking up the floor in the stable of human-kind, more attention should be given to the luminous, the […]

Day 703: Come Children, Let’s Gather ‘Round And Hate

originally published June 3, 2013 Sometimes I really hate humans. What started out as a jocular journey through the goofiness of North Korean barbershop propaganda turned remarkably dark and sinister, and suddenly I was watching a dime-store Mickey Mouse knock-off get beaten to death by an Israeli interrogator. You know, for the kids. Propaganda can […]

Day 702: Orson’s Phenomenal Freak-Out

originally published December 2, 2013 Mention The War Of The Worlds to someone, and they’ll have one of four distinct reactions: They’ll recall images of that creepy Tom Cruise movie. They’ll remember stories of massive public hysteria surrounding an old radio broadcast. They’ll have no idea what you’re talking about because they are either too […]