We Three Magi

It's the midst of the Christmas season, which means visiting family and friends far and wide. A lovely, if stressful, time of year. And visiting all that family means that I've seen a wide variety of gift-giving traditions and their evolution over time. This has got me thinking.

20 Thoughts for Pearl Jam 20

Since I couldn't score tickets for the premiere at TIFF, I had to settle for watching PJ20 last Friday night on PBS. Here's 20 random thoughts that crossed my mind while watching the documentary or in the week since.

Cali aka Calico aka Marigold

Losing pets is hard, even when they are in debilitating pain and euthanizing them is in their best interests.

What should I read?

I've been doing a lot more bedtime reading lately, and watching a lot less TV. I had been reading my way through the Star Wars novels when I reached a point where the library no longer had copies, so I grabbed Harry from the shelf for another journey through the Potter saga. I finished that off, and I'm fighting temptation to read through books 6 and 7 again, since I've read them the least and found them riveting (again).

NLL Changes Rules for 2012

The NLL announced five new rules, or new interpretations of the rules, or tweaks of the rules, or something. I predict they will have no impact on the game in 2012, and not because the referees won't enforce them.

Toronto Rock Off-Season Updates

Since the Rock won the Championship in May a lot has happened in terms of the roster.

1. Watson retired as a first ballot hall of famer.
2. Trade with Colorado.
3. Trade with Washington.
4. Trade with Minnesota.

Sid Dickens Fall 2011 Preview Review

Well, it's everyone's favourite biannual event: the release of the next Sid Dickens collection!!!

I know this is a happy time of year, because my Sid Dickens Spring 2011 Preview Review is the most viewed post on Here's Jonny. So, I'll change things up a bit this time.

I'm going to live blog this release. That's right. Check back here daily for my thoughts on each day's announcements!

Playing Blocks: Starting Over Again

We moved about two months ago, and people have been clamoring for pictures of the new place ever since. I wish I could say that it's taken us this long to get settled in, but it hasn't. We were unpacked, and had all the decor up on the walls within a week. And by decor I mean we put up the Sid Dickens blocks.

Toronto Wins the NLL Championship

The Rock won!!!

Adventures in Moving: Nearly There

We close tomorrow (for those who haven't checked out the countdown recently)!!!

Bold Predictions

After Colorado beat Calgary last night, all eight playoff spots are locked up in the National Lacrosse League. Half of the teams already have their seeds locked in as well.

Adventures in Moving: The Race to the Bottom

This week's adventures in moving concerns the inevitable attempts to get Ma Bell and Pa Rogers to transfer services from our current address to our new home. Ma and Pa, as every Canadian knows, are great when they're working and you don't have to deal with them. In those rare instances when you actually need to talk to them to make changes, it's scary race to underperform each other and thoroughly frustrate you.

Look Both Ways Before You Run a Red Light

This is an open letter to the guy driving the white van with no company logo on the side. The guy who saw a light turn red a full block away and held his speed steady. The guy who took his hands off the wheel as he plowed through the intersection and gave me the "ooops" shrug.

You're welcome.

You see, if I wasn't one of those people who always looks both ways before I cross the street, regardless of the inviting walk signal (or in this case the flashing hand that comes on five seconds after the inviting walk signal), both our lives would be quite different right now. You'd be in a holding cell, and I'd be in a hospital or morgue.

Actually, that's probably not true. If I wasn't one of those people who looks both ways before I cross a street, I'd've been hit by a car years ago, and we never would've crossed paths. I've lost count of the number of people who have ignored the most basic rule of intersections (look both ways before you proceed). I realize, as a pedestrian, I'm invisible, but it also happens when I'm driving a car - other cars ignore me, pedestrians ignore me, cyclists ignore me, cabbies ignore me (I know I'm not alone here - cabbies ignore everyone who isn't paying a fare, and even some people who would like to hire them). Other people blindly fly into intersections so often around me that I'm beginning to think that I'm the problem. It can't be a coincidence.

So to each and every one of you who has been inconvenienced by me in an intersection, I'm sorry for being invisible. I'm sorry for getting in your way. I'm sorry if our encounter (if you even noticed it) made you feel guilty or contemplate how lucky you are. It's clearly all my fault ...

And also, you're welcome. It's hard to remain this humble when I've changed so many lives (including my own), but I'm doing the best I can.

That's why I call them the Goondits

The Buffalo Goondits are in town on Friday night for the Rock's final home game of the season. Tickets, I'm told, are going fast and this one is not on TV.

Toes in the Crease

What a weekend in the National Lacrosse League.

It's Friday Night in Toronto and You're a Sports Fan ...

It's Friday April 1st and you're a sports fan in Toronto. What should you do this evening?

The Rock Can Clinch Home Playoff Game This Weekend

If the Rock win, and both Rochester and Boston lose a game this weekend, then the Rock are guaranteed of at least the second spot in the East and at least one home playoff game.

Picking a Floor

Our adventures in real estate continue.

The Battle for First Overall in the National Lacrosse League

After a several week layoff, the Toronto Rock are back in action Friday night at 9:30pm real time (7:30pm Calgary time) against the Calgary Roughnecks. Those of you lucky enough to have TSN2 can catch the game live, the rest of us will have to watch on the NLL Network. The picture and feed quality on the NLL Network have been very good this season, so it's actually nothing to scoff at unless you have a restrictive usage meter or are using dial-up.

Top Ten Reasons to Prefer Social Media over Email

1. No more reply-all disasters - or rather, they happen in comment threads that you can choose to ignore.
2. No need to master the BCC function. (The what???)
3. No more forwards.
4. The ability to ignore/hide your friends/contacts who insist on posting links that they would have emailed to you in the age of mass forwarding.
5. No more spam.
6. The ability to remove yourself from someone's contact list without them knowing.
7. Keeping everyone updated in 150 characters or less (or by an optional link to a longer blog post that very few people will read).
8. No need to send one-line emails saying 'sounds great!' when you can click 'like' instead.
9. If you work in a place where NSFW is a life-saver, then your employer probably blocked access to Facebook 5 years ago.
10. No more inbox-clogging photo albums.

And all you had to give up was every personal detail and your privacy!

Rock Clinch 2011 Playoff Berth

With the Calgary thumping of Philadelphia on Saturday night, the Rock are guaranteed a playoff spot. I know, I'm sounding like a broken record, since I wrote about it here and here.

Rock can clinch a 2011 National Lacrosse League Playoff spot tonight

With a victory last night over Philadelphia, the Rock have lowered their magic number to guarantee a playoff spot to one. Be sure to check out the highlight videos with the TSN story, since two of the goals made the Sportscentre Highlight of the Night reel. The NLL version should have a video posted of the highlights in their story soon. If you want to watch repeats of any game this season go to Livestream.

Rock Midseason Update

Couple of notes about the Toronto Rock season.

Rehabilitating a Pack Rat

Apartment tidying is nearly completed here. Over the past few weeks I've filled up the recycling toter three times over with paper products, including completely emptying a three-drawer filing cabinet. This is no small feat, since the toter is easily big enough for me to curl up and take a nap inside. All this cleaning and purging makes me feel lighter, even though I gained a couple of pounds by eating and drinking my way through a wonderful family weekend.

Confessions of a Pack Rat

The thing with moving when you're a pack rat is actually carrying all the things you own. The path of least resistance on a daily basis might be keeping stuff you're never going to need again, but the path of least resistance when you want to move is to travel light. It's easy to see why some pack rats never move (leaving the 'problem' for their family to deal with).

Adventures in Real Estate: Part I

My wife and I have started looking to buy a little place of our own so that we can get out of the rental market. So far we've found two places that we thought were nice enough to buy, but the big city market has shown us some of its uglier sides.

Sid Dickens Spring 2011 Preview Review

Starting on January 6th the Sid Dickens company released photos of the new collection (Through the Looking Glass) one tile per day. I wish I could say something nicer than, "I love that they teased us for nine straight days" with the previews. I am underwhelmed and worried that Sid has lost his muse.

Here are the nine tiles and my initial thoughts, as well as some sober second thoughts about the entire collection and the direction Sid appears to be heading.

Sid Dickens Addictions are Contagious

It turns out that the serious addiction problem people have with collecting Sid Dickens Memory Blocks is highly contagious. Once people see the tiles, they have to get their own.

Playing Blocks IV

I spoke too soon when I said I wouldn't bother getting Piano Keys for a while yet!