No Small Parts

A few weeks ago, I was saddened to hear that Jerry Orbach did the big Exit Stage Left (pursued by a bear). I'm a pretty big Law and Order fan, but I was looking forward to see what Orbach would do after leaving the show. I was especially hoping to be able to go to New York to see him on stage, since he's such a song and dance man on broadway.

Alas and alack, missed opportunities, and all that jazz.

If you've been following Law and Order over the years, you'll know that all the roles have been played by multiple people as the seasons pass. The roles have been steady though, so you can always refer to them as the two detectives, the DA, the assistant DA, and the main lawyer guy, the psychologist, and a plethora of judges and defense lawyers.

I think Jerry Orbach cornered the market on the detective role enough that most people will refer to his part as "The Lenny Guy". The other detective role might be referred to as "The Chris Noth guy".

I figure the camp will be divided on who would be the better prosecuting lawyer, Moriarity or Waterson (I think Jack McCoy is more entertaining to watch). Each actor brought his own spin to that role, so they're not interchangable. His sidekick, however, seems to be pretty generic.

But in the end, Lenny will live forever.

Read'em and Weep

Some of my poker buddies just got back from their Christmas vacations yesterday, but I'm still too sick to welcome them back. Drat. My energy levels are getting better though, so it's encouraging. Slowly but surely.

I was relavtively recently introduced to the joys of poker, but my poker-face skills need work (as illustrated by this comic strip). I'm doing better the more I practice though, so now I'm either breaking even or just below breaking even. I need to get back into a game though... I want to hone my skills so that I can hold my own in the Annual Male Prosperity Ritual (a poker game) at the Kaleidoscope pagan festival.

Still... It's all in good fun. It's more about psyching out your oppoonents and trashing talking than it is about counting the chips at the end of the round (and humming Kenny Rogers' tunes).

Back on my Feet, Still Wobbly

After four days of feeling wretched, I'm finally more or less on my feet again. I've still got a nasty cough that rattles in my chest and gives me a throbbing headache each time, but my energy level is back up and that means I can now go and run my errands.

It's amazing how, when I'm sick, I can't remember how it felt to be well and having the energy and stamina to do all the normal things in life. After a couple of being weakened, I started re-examining my life and trying to determine what I could still do in this weakened state.

Trip of the Magi

A good chunk of this holiday season was spent behind the wheel, which is going to be a fact of life when your partner's family lives in Toronto and your own family lives in Quebec city (we logged over 2200 km on the rental). Six hours to Toronto (plus 4 hours to Perry Sound), 12 hours getting to Quebec city (with a stopover in Montreal), and three hours coming back to Montreal. I'm just about done with long-distance treks for awhile, thanks.

Overall, it was enjoyable to spend Christmas with a large family and I got my first Christmas stocking. Ms. Carotte's family does the whole stocking thing where each person stuffs gifts into a stocking for everone else. Is it a Quebecois thing to not do the Christmas stocking exchange, or was it just my family?

New Year's Eve was spent with friends, drinking egg nog and watching the ball drop in NYC. Ms. Carotte's wasn't feeling well, so she went to bed early.

The next day though... oof. Ms. Carotte's came down with a nasty bit of flu and then I got it a day later. This is always the way of things: today, I was supposed to go to the Toyota dealership and get my 2005 Matrix, but with the state I'm in now, that'll have to wait until the room stops spinning.

Nuts.

My Girlfriend Dared Me to Say This

I know I haven't been writing much lately, but my Christian girlfriend has been leaving her Bible in random places in the apartment, so my hands are so scalded from picking it up so often, it makes it difficult to type.

How's that for Culturally Appropriate Christmas Sentiment (tm)?

But this is from me:
'Tis the season to be jolly and grateful, so I just want to thank all of my readers who pop in to see what thoughtblob has being gracefully ejected from my brain and onto electronic techno-paper. I run into you people fairly regularly (like at tonight's Yule Ritual where I got to play Ra the Sun God) and I'm always pleased and flattered to find out that you take the time ("Oh yeah, I read your blog all the time." // "You do?!?!").

Happy Yule and a Merry Christmas to you all! I look forward to hoisting a pint with you in the New Year!

High-End Tea

I was out Xmas shopping yesterday and I swung by Hogg hardware on Sherbrooke to pick up a teapot and cup for a friend of mine. I had spotted this tea set about a month ago and decided this would be the present for her, but I hadn't checked the price. It's a teapot and a mug (from the Bridgewater set), I figured. I was sure I could afford it.

The teapot was white with black lettering, as was the mug. The mug itself could hold a pint of tea and it read "I'm not greedy. I just like a lot." Perfect, I thought.

Until I stopped in yesterday and saw the price: teapot: $125 // mug: $48. With jaw hanging askew, I put them back on the shelf and headed of to the Craft Fair at Bonaventure.

To get a teapot and mug for $175 (plus tax), it had better fill with Lady Grey tea magically on command. I wish I could be living in that lifestyle, but I'm far from it.

But speaking of big purchases, I spent last week looking at three types of cars and I decided I would take a decision on them. I've decided to go with a 2005 Toyota Matrix and I'll start the process of purchasing it on Monday. Hopefully, it will all go through. Wish me luck!

Inner Green Man

This year, we've decided to go with the live tree thing for Christmas ("In the spirit of Christmas, we've gone out and killed a tree for you!"). We've been steadily decorating the green beast, but we don't want to overpower the thing with too many decorations. What's the point of having a tree in your house if you turn it into a hat rack?

This is Ms. Carotte's first Christmas in a place she feels she can call home. Remember that she spent the previous 8 years on the road with a touring theatre company, so Montreal is her first steady spot in quite a while. She's going a bit azy-cray with the glittering decorations on the house and the tree, but I'm trying to keep her reigned in. Here's what the tree looks like now.

In the meantime, I'm getting in touch with my inner greenman.

My contract is about to hit a lull, so I'll be using that time to go out and hunt down some Christmas presents. I still want to hit the craft exposition at Place Bonaventure, but I need to stop in the regular shops to get a few other items. Ms. Carotte has a few things under the tree already, so I need to start keeping up.

Only a week left or so before the holidays start up. Yikes! I hope you and I can meet up for a holiday pint sometime soon...

CSI Las Vegas wishes it were CSI Manitoba

So Ms. Carotte has gotten me hooked onto CSI (in its various regions). I've been watching more Las Vegas and Miami than New York (although I'm a big Gary Sinise fan), so I don't know if the other shows do this as well, but here's what I've noticed:

What is with the obsession with Canada in CSI?!? Typical Canadian that I am, I'm extra-sensitive to Canadian references in non-Canadian shows. Not that I have a problem with them (I love it), but I just notice it more.

What I've noticed is that, at least once an episode, there'll be one reference to Canada. That reference may be as a Canadian flag, the mention of a province or city, or of a news item. At first, I thought it was a fluke, but I was watching CSI last night and the investigators walked into a depanneur on the outskits of Vegas (I could've said "corner store", but this place was about 10 km from the closest corner) to investigate the clerk being shot.

Twice, the camera panned a set of license plates over the entrance door, and the second time, there was clearly a Quebec license plate, complete with the Je Me Souviens on the front of it (for those who don't know, "Je Me Souviens" translates roughly to "I got a souvenir").

I'm like that. I've always been looking in the backgrounds of scenes to see what the scene designer is trying to hide. I started noticing these things watching Looney Tunes and then the Simpsons. Having directed a few plays, I've been known to hide meaningful items in plain sight on the set, just to see who might notice them.

Skating Rink

Last night's freezing rain sure did a number on the attendance at my storytelling event. We had 20 reservations, but only nine people showed up. Still, the stories were good and the people were appreciative, so I'm going to count it as a success.

The owner of Shaika even said that she'd let us come back and do more shows like this anytime. Yay! Maybe next time, we'll get a bigger crowd and it'll take over more of the cafe. The noise levels were quite high last night (there was a knitting circle, of all things, clicking and guffawing in the front corner of the shop), but a larger crowd should take care of that.

But the skating rink that the city sidewalk turned into...! I've dislocated both knees in my lifetime, so I get quite paranoid about walking on Montreal's sloping sidewalks. After years of not owning winter boots, I think I need to break down and get some. Does anyone know a particular kind that would give me more traction on these icy roads?

Tough Crowd

I had a pro bono gig on Sunday night with the Montreal Children's Hospital at the Novotel on de la Montagne. It was a special weekend where the kids who were being treated got to spend time with their friends and families doing a variety of activities, including a sleepover and a visit from Santa on Monday morning.

So they contacted me to ask if I'd be willing to volunteer some time and tales for about 60 kids. I said sure, but I made sure to mention that I'd need a room that didn't have too much traffic and noise in which to tell me stories. The event organizer said that would be no problem.

When I showed up, the 60 people (kids and parents) were sitting in a huge room where they had just had supper and were now doing arts and crafts. They cleared a space for me in the corner and announced the storytelling, but only 20 of the 60 people left their tables to come and listen.

The rest of them stayed at their tables working on their arts and crafts and speaking at an above average level, which meant I had to practically shout my stories to be heard. I asked one of the organizers to ask the others to keep their voices down. To her credit, she tried, but the hordes paid no attention to her and kept talking, shouting and laughing.

By the end of the show, my own voice was hoarse although the kids stayed with me right until the last story. The organizers were very grateful and very apologetic, saying that they would make sure I had a quieter space next year when they did this event again.

Speaking of events, are you coming to our Winter Tales show on Tuesday night (entitled Twas the Night Before)? It's at the Shaika Cafe (5526 Sherbrooke, corner Old Orchard) at 7pm. You can download the poster here.

C'mon.. can you imagine a better way to spend an evening? Cup of hot chai, a pastry, and Winter Tales to warm the soul?