G Valentino is Random

Things I recall from the Coakley Hill days: - Qui...

2012-01-03T10:01:19.970-05:00

Things I recall from the Coakley Hill days:

- Quiet Riot's metal Health
- Table hockey
- Voltron
- Great pasta
- the Millenium Falcon

My first introduction to Grunge (while living in the metal village) was the Pepsi Power Hour (a mainstay for mullett wearing metal heads like me) when Man in the Box played. Blew my mind.

Hi! Great article about a great band! I am trying...

2012-01-01T18:55:07.094-05:00

Hi!
Great article about a great band!
I am trying to find out if there was a poster for the CNE show of Aug 18,1993 (PJ, NY, Soundgarden & Blues Traveller) but I can't find one - do you know if there was one?

Gio

Hi! Great article about a great band! I am trying...

2012-01-01T18:53:57.119-05:00

They are, believe it or not, from London UK (or ba...

2010-11-16T14:32:44.142-05:00

They are, believe it or not, from London UK (or based out of there at least, as the keyboardist seems to have a thick Liverpudian accent).

Really loving that first song by Mumford & son...

2010-11-16T09:59:50.030-05:00

Really loving that first song by Mumford & son.... they play it a lot on the station I listen to.

I'm wondering where they are from - it's an unusual sound to have the banjo in there (but I like it)

1) The Orioles had a miserable start to the season...

2010-09-29T11:36:10.637-04:00

1) The Orioles had a miserable start to the season. They hired Showalter, and played pretty damn well after that, in fact having the best record AFTER his hiring, and not much was different between the Orioles before and the Flying Showalters. They just plain ol' played better.

And yes, they were supposed to finish ahead of the Blue Jays, and didn't because they had such a horrible start to the season. Look at the record after Showalter came in, and it's more like it was supposed to be. A week or so ago Baseball Today examined the AL east post- and pre the mergence of the FLying Showalters - they had the best record, Jays had the worst. Is that Cito's fault? No. Is it Showalter's credit? No. But what's the main difference between the teams at the start of the season and the end of the season?

2) In general I don't know how "haters gonna hate" became a valid rhetorical device (not just here, but everywhere). Are people not allowed to have a contrary view? I don't like Cito as a manager, and have always felt him very overrated. He won two World Series, yes, and congratulations for that, but that was 15 years ago.

You can say "haters gonna hate" and I can say "Stop living in the past". None of which are argument clinchers for either side. Neither change the fact that the team, record wise, isn't that much better with him leaving the team than it was before he did.

Did you really just compare Cito's Jays to Sho...

2010-09-29T10:38:16.272-04:00

Did you really just compare Cito's Jays to Showalters OrioLOLes? The same OrioLOLes that were supposed to finish ahead of the 60 or so win Jays? Give me a break. And way to send Cito out with some class. I read a number of pieces about Cito which talked about no matter what he did, or does, there are some people who simply refuse to give him respect. You're clearly one of those. But that's all good, because no matter what you do or write, you can't take away his World Series wins, or his division titles. Haters gonna hate!

Nice review. I liked Safeco, too. Especially, as y...

2010-09-10T15:53:25.231-04:00

Nice review. I liked Safeco, too. Especially, as you pointed out, the street with the food stalls. And the view from your seats was money; great picture.

I would strongly disagree if the movie was, say......

2010-09-07T17:14:50.033-04:00

I would strongly disagree if the movie was, say... Toy Story 3, but since it's not I totally agree. I was floored at the amount of small children (6ish?) who were at Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.

Like JJ, I go to see a non-kid movie at the theatre so I can get a sitter and be kid-free. I also have mixed feelings about flying with kids, which is why I haven't done it yet.

I don't think this is an unpopular opinion... but I'm also not very popular.

Precisely one of the reasons I rarely go to movies...

2010-09-07T14:23:06.393-04:00

Precisely one of the reasons I rarely go to movies anymore. (and I have 2 kidlets of my own).

Point being, I go out to a movie so I can watch something I wouldn't let my kid watch, and don't want to listen to the kids while I watch. So I don't want to listen to other people's kids either. Especially at non-family films.

We live in a sinful soceity and as you pointed out...

2010-06-27T15:02:06.951-04:00

We live in a sinful soceity and as you pointed out, we could easily be one of them.. But only by the grace of God he has pulled me from those dark places and set my feet on higher ground. Not by my own choice or actions but by HIS providence!

Haha. Dad rock. The Gazette said the same about ...

2010-06-13T14:29:29.636-04:00

Haha. Dad rock.

The Gazette said the same about Wilco prior to their recent shows in MTL and OTT. I think that is more appropo than the National. Now Peter Mansbridge in a band called the National...definitely dad rock.

I did kinda touch on the whole Marlies thing in on...

2010-04-17T13:04:08.589-04:00

I did kinda touch on the whole Marlies thing in one of the posts I linked in this story, but it's a valid point that bears repeating: If Toronto were a hockey town, then the Marlies and the OHL teams in the city would be sold out all the time. Realistically it should be like high school football in Texas, but it's not. (I also want to point out, 6,000 people showed up to watch high school hockey in Phoenix...).

About the only places to go are PR (which the Expos tried), or put another team in Texas or California (San Antonio and Sacramento could probably support a team).

As for the AL East, I'm writing a post on that for later, because, well, SHENANIGANS! The Blue Jays have won 5 pennants and two World Series' while playing in the AL East. They can compete, and have competed. And tell small market and poor team to the Rays, who have won the division and remain competitive.

Fans have to stop using that as an excuse. If you need a team that wins for you to be interested, then you're not a fan, you're a tourist.

Toronto was never a baseball town. It's not ev...

2010-04-17T10:55:23.683-04:00

Toronto was never a baseball town. It's not even really sporty. It just adores the Leafs and the NHL - if it liked hockey, the Marlies would draw better. I see many parallels to the Expos here but your one point: where would the Jays go, is most valid. The Expos moved to a larger market. That the Nationals are doing poorly there is besides the point. As long as Miami has a team, I suppose Toronto will have one, too. But stuck in the division they're in, this is a team with a long, long run of nothing ahead of it. It already means nothing to be "a Blue Jay" (if it ever did). It will mean even less in the future.

Well said. I agree and I will remember. I do donat...

2010-03-22T18:13:13.405-04:00

Well said. I agree and I will remember. I do donate to cancer research (among other charities) by the way, but it would have been great if every "color" was turned into cash! I will donate my bra price extra this month, promise.

Out of all the movies you mentioned, out of the en...

2010-01-27T10:50:03.090-05:00

Out of all the movies you mentioned, out of the entire post - I've seen exactly 2: Star Trek and Phantom of the Opera.

Star Trek, I was surprised to like. Phantom of the Opera, I didn't actually hate, despite Gerard Butler being no frikkin Michael Crawford, and all the obvious digital enhancements of the singers. *sigh* Next time people - just hire singers, OK?

And by the way, we are way more awesome than that ...

2010-01-11T11:46:08.391-05:00

And by the way, we are way more awesome than that SW photo.

I'm not quite ready to turn my back, if only b...

2010-01-11T10:40:59.091-05:00

I'm not quite ready to turn my back, if only because they seem to be aware of what is going on, and also have a pretty deep support network of people who might be able to help them pull out (unlike, say, The Killers or the aforementioned Weezer who just seemed to have surrounded themselves with yes men).

Viking death ship, baby!

I missed a word in the last sentence of the first ...

2010-01-11T10:30:25.451-05:00

I missed a word in the last sentence of the first paragraph. I hope you are right G and they do come back to what brought them to the dance.

JJ I do not know you but we agree with our thought...

2010-01-11T10:29:26.436-05:00

JJ I do not know you but we agree with our thoughts on "the hit". I jumped on the KoL bandwagon way back and they lost me with album #3. They were the first band I've heard in a long time with balls and have since been neutered. I you are right G and they do come back to what brought them to the dance.

You know of my KoL passion, we've discussed such. And I am, as much as I hate to admit, one of the snobs who is turning his back on KoL. Though I like to think it is not because of the tourists but because they stink now.

Well, I'll bite bullet and say it. I don'...

2010-01-10T22:24:07.776-05:00

Well, I'll bite bullet and say it. I don't like them. At least, not the 'hit'. It's boring and gets way too much airplay. It will never make me want to listen to their album, much less buy it.

We have a rather long driveway, but we DON"T ...

2009-12-11T00:27:35.677-05:00

We have a rather long driveway, but we DON"T have anyone to plow it. I'm already not enjoying the shoveling. :(

Other than that, snow it fun. I just don't like it on the roads and my driveway.

I love the snow - for all the reasons you mentione...

2009-12-10T23:02:33.589-05:00

I love the snow - for all the reasons you mentioned.
I, for one, welcome it and miss it when it is gone. It makes the world 'fresh' and covers it while it sleeps furtile... it blankets the possiblity of spring... and it looks pretty - I like it - I still feel like it's magical every time it snows.

I don't understand people who hate it and yet continue to live in it - it's pointless to complain about something you can't change instead of changing the thing you can (your circumstance)

I also don't understand why people feel the need to put down the snow or my love for it or even attempt to dissway my adoration.

I understand the negative, I understand the frustrations - but shouldn't they wait until spring, rather than the beginning of the season... can not some joy be found, at all?

Why seek misery? It's coming, embrace it, enjoy it... if nothing else simply as a part of life (that's my view anyway)

Sure, complain in March - but december is supposed to be cold, and snowy...

And... as cold as it is just now, I do feel a bit more alive in it.

(Future refence: this girl should never have a forum in which to go on about the "yay!" of snow)

- Ariana (finding_bleu)

Valentino I sent you an email. Its Padmore.

2009-11-16T15:07:47.815-05:00

Valentino I sent you an email. Its Padmore.

Found your blog from Mr. Bernards memorial page. E...

2009-11-13T17:00:56.634-05:00

Found your blog from Mr. Bernards memorial page. Enjoyed it immensely. Got a few chuckes of your life experiences. Especially the tomatoes.
Sorry for your loss of your brother I have often thought of you, your family and him over the years. You were so little at the time, it broke my heart to see you. I only knew him for a brief time but he was truly a great guy. Never did I understand death until I got much older. His death changed my life forever. You see I was in the car that night, remember all the details and he was driving me home. I blamed myself for it, for a lot of years. Despite at the approximate time, he passed, I had a dream that he came to me and told me not to blame myself. It seemed so real. that would of been something he would of done. Glad you have such great little memories of him. And sad that you missed out on having a great older brother. Your sis on having another baby brother. Your mom and dad never had the opportunity to see what he would of become and accomplished.
I too think of him everytime I hear Jack and Diane by John Cougar Mellancamp.