Books, DVDs and The Leafs.

I finished Neil Gaiman's American Gods.  I wasn't a huge fan but I know that given the right book, I can like this guy.  The plot presented in the book is pretty awesome so I know he has the potential (the millions of fans withstanding).

My question is, where do I go from here?  Sandman seems like the obvious choice.

In other news, I watched the documentary on WWE's latest Rock DVD.  Pretty solid feature running just under 2 hours.  It was nice to see some of his 2003 run where he portrayed what's commonly known as "Hollywood Rock".  Really funny stuff there, if you've never seen his material in February/March 2003, YouTube it up.  The "Rock Concert" from Sacramento is one of my all-time favorite segments he's ever done.

I've also almost caught up in Community.  I'm pretty happy to learn that the show hasn't been cancelled and is returning to TV next month!  Given how much I love The Office, 30 Rock and now Community, I really feel like I should give Parks & Rec a shot.  NBC seems to really know what it's doing with sitcoms.

The Toronto Maple Leafs also appear to be on the verge of yet ANOTHER year without a post-season.  After a strong beginning, it looks like the annual collapse is right on time.  I don't understand what's wrong with this organization?  Why can't it just find a way to win games?  Is the management that poor?  Is Brian Burke really not the brilliant GM that everyone thought he was?

I'm not going to tell you what I think this team needs to do to right the ship.  I'm clearly not the GM nor do I know what you do to create a winning hockey team.  The club has some great players in Kessel, Lupul, Phaneuf and Grabovski but also some duds in Armstrong, Connolly and Komisarek.  Having not made the playoffs since 2004 and with Burke starting his re-build in 2008, something clearly isn't working.  I can't tell you why the team isn't gelling but I think a coaching change may be in order.  This team has some talented players, they just need someone to guide them in the right direction.

/rant.

Dominion and Nova Scotia Weather.

Turns out I may be a fan of card games.  Whaaaa?  I never saw this coming either.

Alaina, Syl and I got together on Saturday night and played this "newish" card game, Dominion.  I couldn't possibly begin to explain how this game works as I still have no idea how I picked it up as quickly as I did.  It's pretty fun though - can't wait to play again.

Forgot to post this last week - I went on a walk to one of the several libraries in my city and had to endure pretty icy conditions.

Say what you will about winter - I don't care, I love it.  As much as I miss reading in the public gardens or the commons, I'll take cold weather any day.

An update on the cat situation!  Turns out I'm not allowed pets.  All this planning and talking was all for nothing.  If I didn't love my apartment so much, I might consider moving when my lease is up.  However, that goes against my plan of NEVER MOVING AGAIN.  Seriously.  I hate it.

Went out for a walk on Saturday night throughout Halifax and encountered giant snowflakes.  Alaina let me take her picture.

She's pretty.

Comic Book Men

Man, this show is great!  Never mind the fact that I'm terribly biased in regards to everything Kevin Smith has his name attached to (with the single exception of Cop-Out).

I've been listening to TESD since it's inception in January of 2010 and before that, loved when Bry and Walt would appear alongside Kev on SModcast.  It's pretty cool seeing these guys I've listened to on a weekly basis get their own TV show.

One moment in particular had me laughing out loud (well, among others).  Walt discovered a pile of junk in The Stash and asked Ming where it came from.  Ming seemingly lied and blamed Jeff.  In the background, Bry let loose a chuckle.  If you've listened to the podcast, there have been instances where Walt has caught Ming in a lie and the entire group would basically jump all over him producing hilarity.

Will it last?  Who knows.  TV is a tricky business.  Success is determined by how many people watch your show rather than the quality of said show.  I mean, that's only fair.  Networks are not going to leave a show on the air that no one watches - how do they sell ad space?

Listen to me!  I'm already talking about cancellation before I've seen the second episode!  I'm so depressing.  Whatever, I know I can't wait for the second episode.  Bring on #2!

Meeting Mosier, Board Games and Cat UPDATE.

Not that you can really see what the above picture is, but I finally got to see SModcast.. live and in person!  I've been listening to these guys for 4 years (and watching their movies a whole lot longer), taking them on road trips and lengthy walks.  Thankfully, Kevin Smith has developed some sort of unhealthy obsession with Halifax and decided to come here for the extra special 200th installment.

Oh, and I met Scott Mosier.  Pretty pleased with myself.

Remember that picture I posted last time of that hockey bet I lost?  The one where I had to wear a disgusting jersey in the event my beloved Maple Leafs ended up losing to the dreaded Ottawa Senators?  Well.. Alaina was crazy enough to make that bet again.

Yeah, I didn't lose this time.  Now this picture exists.  I may have worn the jersey first but where Alaina is actually FROM Ottawa, I'm sure the experience was far worse for her.

Been playing a few board games lately, which is strange for me because not only did I grow up without any but I also was never really interested in them.  Syl, Ryan, Alaina and I had two board game nights - one of which was Simpson's Scene It.

I always considered myself a Simpson's fanatic but turns out not watching the last 10 years of episodes creates a massive gap in Simpsons knowledge.  Alaina crushed us and won the game, despite having the least amount of memory when it comes to specific events and episodes (or quotes).

Also, tried out the super nerdy, yet extremely fun Settlers of Catan.  Although Ryan hated it (and hate might not be a strong enough word), Syl, Alaina and I certainly enjoyed it.  Looking forward to giving it another try.  Also, we ate A LOT of sour gummy worms.

On top of those two board game experiences, I finally had my first attempt at playing a card game, Gloom.  Well, other than your "standard" game of cards (and even with that genre, I'm terrible).  I'm not even sure how to categorize this game but it was pretty fun.  That and I actually won!  I was pleased with myself.

*** An update on the cat situation ****

A few months ago, I said I was probably going to get a cat.  I went to the local SPCA last week and asked some questions, met some cats and got some information.  I'm just waiting on a response from my property management company to see if I can actually have a pet before I make any choices.  

Alaina has let me know that she intends to start a tumblr account with photos of my cat, so that remains to be seen too.  I'm a fan of that.

Rockabilly, SMod200 and Losing Hockey Bets.

Oh man, I hate studying.  I hate it more than you can ever imagine.  That being said, it'll all be over in one week when I write this damn exam.  Once I pass it, I'm not touching another text book until the fall/winter.  I just have to keep reminding myself that it'll all be worth it in the end.  I'll have 4 letters I can place after my name - proof that I'm s-m-r-t.

Aside from studying, I've been somewhat busy.

*Alaina and I took in the latest Leafs/Sens game at a local drinking establishment.  While neither of us consumed alcohol, we did make a bet which resulted in me wearing a stinkin' Sens jersey.  Yes, the Leafs lost and the Sens won.  Highlight of the night involved Alaina jumping to her feet when the game ended, giving me the double finger, laughing and shouting "fuuuuuuuck you".  Re-match is on Saturday, I'm prepared for my revenge.

* Finished Joe Hill's "Horns" the other day and I rather enjoyed it.  It's pretty awesome to see the son of an accomplished and fantastic writer succeed in his own right without using the family name.  Hill, the son of Stephen King, has put out a pretty solid and emotional story that had me gripped from start to finish.  If you want to read my review, it's posted on goodreads!

* Started Neil Gaiman's "American Gods".  I'm only about 50 pages in (it's about 550) and I'm enjoying it so far.  It's not at all what I expected seeing as when I hear something as being in the "fantasy" genre, I expect fantastical fairy tale style world-building and crazy make-em-up names and locations.  However, I've been told that while Gaiman's writing is heavily rooted in fantasy, it's designed around and injected within the real world.  Pretty excited to really get into this book over the next few days.

* SModcast 200 is in two freakin' days!  Very, very excited.  I just finished listening to SMod 199, really funny.  I have no idea how they're going to follow that one but I trust Smith and Mosier.. completely.

*Went to my first "Rockabilly" show the other night at The Seahorse.  Have no real prior experience with Rockabilly other than.. well..

.. but that doesn't count.

I wasn't a big fan of the final band that played but I really liked the opening band, "Pewter City" despite the fact that they weren't really surf rock nor were they rockabilly.  They had a pretty great song about a giant robot.  Awesome.

I did like The Rockabilly Rednecks.  Pretty great band.  Lots of up-tempo music (as rockabilly appears to be) and put on a fun show.