Roxanne Tellier – What’s Normal Anyway?

People are funny; they want their lives to be interesting and noteworthy, but most of us are good for

about 24 hours of novelty before we’re pining for ‘the good old days.’

Chef Tom – Whiskey-A-Go-Go

The word “whiskey” comes from the Gaelic uisge, a shortened version of uisge beatha meaning “water of life,” also known as aqua vitae in Latin. 

Whiskey was originally used as a medicine, both as an internal anesthetic and an external antibiotic.

There is no wrong way to drink whiskey. The higher-end whiskeys (e.g., really old scotch and specialty bourbons) are often enjoyed straight. Some people like their whiskey on the rocks while others add a splash of water. This can open up the aromas and flavors, particularly of high-proof whiskeys. A shot of whiskey is popular and it’s often mixed into shooter recipes.

Peter VS Technology

Did you know that I hate technology?

I suppose that I should explain.

I don’t hate technology all the time, but there are times when it is very difficult to feel anything more than bemusement about it. In support of this conclusion, I present a recent “interface” which I was barely able to endure.

Darrell Vickers – The Ballad of Sweet John Dugan Part Two: Danger Bay, Will Robinson!

The moment of truth was upon us like a bachelor elephant on a Mr. Peanut love doll. We had journeyed nigh on one hundred yards and walked up a full flight of stairs, but now, with our treacherous trek finally at an end, we found ourselves comfortably seated before the bewigged-one. Benevolent John shone his blinding light of ultimate cognition, and the need for a gripping act break, upon our eager and sponge-like cerebellums. Soon we were armed with the scads and skeins and scoops of essential information required to make a whiz-bang sale.

GWNtertainment #43 by JAIMIE VERNON

Aside from many, many tour announcements for most of Canada’s working musicians, it’s been a quiet week for new Canadian music releases. Many artists were ensconced in the revived annual music showcase SXSW in Austin, Texas, while others were already on the road putting music back on stage nationally. This is good news. We encourage people to support our working musicians and live venues with care and caution as mandates continue to be lifted. If everyone does their part the live music industry will continue to grow and prosper back to its pre-2020 levels.

Roxanne Tellier – The Age of Bullies Part Two: World Class Bullies and Where They Live

Last week I wrote about local bullies, and those that terrorize the citizens that elected them locally and nationally. More often than we might have thought, those elected bullies, unsated by the billions they suck from their people’s coffers, opt to extend their reign indefinitely. When they do so, they morph from being barely restrained autocratic bullies, into full-fledged, unrestrained, dictators.

Chef Tom – Salad Days

One of my favorite all-American treats, and one that’s starting to gain popularity after having fallen out of favor for a few decades.

Iceberg lettuce (aka crisp lettuce) got its name from the method of transportation, once the cross-country train system was created. Before refrigerated train cars, they would pile crushed ice on top of the pallets of lettuce (at the time, the number one vegetable in the US). The heads would peak out from below the ice and look like icebergs.

Segarini: Robert Kincaide – The All Night Thank You

An excerpt from Robert Franklin Kincaide’s New York Times Best Seller, Living Life – The Great Adventure

It was just one of those One in a Million occurrences that happen when you least expect them, or in this case never expected at all. – Robert F. Kincaide

Peter Be Talkin’ ‘Bout “Interactions”

“May I Help You”?

It was a late spring Friday afternoon, and the office was quiet. A glance at the wall clock would remind you that if you could get through the next hour without punching someone in the nose, you would have the whole weekend to recover. As I strolled toward my boss’s office, I could see that the manager had dropped in for a quick visit. My puckish sense of humour kicked in and I entered the office, looking at the floor and dusting my hands off. “Well, I got rid of the guy”, I said. Then I pretended to notice the manager standing there, so I snapped to attention, threw a credible Royal Navy salute (a) and said “I mean, I successfully completed the citizen interaction, sir!” The manager shook his head, chuckled and probably thought that if he could get through the next hour without punching someone in the nose, he would have the whole weekend to recover. 

Pat Blythe – All That Jazz – Part V

I’m going to start with a quote from Encyclopedia Britannica. “Most early classical composers (such as Aaron Copland, John Alden Carpenter—and even Igor Stravinsky, who became smitten with jazz) were drawn to its (jazzes) instrumental sounds and timbres, the unusual effects and inflections of jazz playing (brass mutes, glissandos, scoops, bends, and stringless ensembles), and its syncopations, completely ignoring, or at least under appreciating, the extemporized aspects of jazz. Indeed, the sounds that jazz musicians make on their instruments—the way they attack, inflect, release, embellish, and colour notes—characterize jazz playing to such an extent that if a classical piece were played by jazz musicians in their idiomatic phrasings, it would in all likelihood be called jazz.