Bill Andersen having fun

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A funny idea from Canada Post

Taggers make Canada Post boxes look ugly, so the corporation is going proactive and making them look ugly first. Take that, you little punks.

March 8, 2010   No Comments

A lunch that’s good for everyone, almost…

You will disagree if you are a sardine, but Donna’s latest blog entry offers a good idea for a delicious, easy and nutritious lunch.

March 7, 2010   3 Comments

Another sunny day, another walk

Click to enlarge photo.

Today, Donna and I made a first visit to a restaurant on Eastern Avenue. Deborah joined us. Having been to the Le Papillon on the Park before, she knew the French Onion soup would be a good choice.

I hit a winner on the brunch menu: Oeufs Florentine with frites. Very good! Donna tried a Fricassé Sauvage crêpe and was a little disappointed. Nice crêpe and all that, but the filling was a little long on roasted veggies and a little short on goat cheese. When the waiter brought extra goat cheese, all was well. More »

March 6, 2010   1 Comment

An unusual home on Coxwell Avenue

Today, Donna and I hoofed it over to Coxwell for a look at a building that our neighbour had mentioned recently.

The place is a bit of a mystery. We don’t know who built it or when. Is it occupied? Hard to say. There are 2 vehicles parked there, but they are packed with whatnots and look like they are used for storage rather than transportation.

Our neighbour wondered how the services entered the building… waterpipes, drains, electrical, etc.. Probably inside the big steel pipes that support the structure, but wouldn’t freezing be a problem? Is there any insulation?

Aha! Answers!
This sign hangs by the front walkway. Click the picture to go to the URL.

March 5, 2010   6 Comments

A finance minister’s special talent

Jim Flaherty sucks and blows at the same time, delivering his budget speech.

March 5, 2010   1 Comment

Dreams come true

Believe it or not, back in the 90’s when I was designing magazine ads, I had dreams wherein the photos in my layouts came to life and moved. I remember feeling puzzled in the dreams because, while I knew that it was my job to make that happen, I wasn’t sure how to do it. More »

March 4, 2010   1 Comment

Foolish errors

When your browser tries to find a web page that doesn’t exist, you get a “404 Error” page. I just customized mine and stuck in a randomizing javascript that delivers excuses.

You might get any one of 10 different lame excuses… they change if you refresh the page. Suggestions for funnier lines are welcome.

Here’s a page that doesn’t exist for you to try: Interesting Throne Speeches.

March 4, 2010   No Comments

Book review

Save the Cat
Blake Snyder
Michael Wiese Productions
2005

Have you ever found yourself reading a book that was good, but that you didn’t like? Save the Cat is about screenwriting for Hollywood. It’s good because the author clearly knows the formulas for cranking out saleable scripts. It’s disagreeable to me because the recipes result, for the most part, in the kind of product Hollywood puts out.

I am not in the target group, so fair enough. The author himself reveals a certain disdain for the business, reminding us that the results are “just movies”. More »

March 2, 2010   1 Comment

One gold star for McGuinty

For returning Ipperwash “Provincial Park” to its First Nations owners. The land was seized for military use during WWII and never returned, as had been promised. The news report says that the actual turnover is still years away, even assuming that the government motion passes. Slow and tardy, but at least the government is moving to behave legally. More »

March 1, 2010   5 Comments

Just published: a J.R. Colombo “dream diary”

End of Greatness
John Robert Colombo
Toronto: Colombo & Company
$30.00.

I have my copy now, but when John bestowed the honour of designing the cover for his latest book, I only had the title to go by… and John’s suggestion that I use a NASA image of Pluto.

Well, Pluto seemed an apt choice, having recently been demoted to something less than a planet. End of greatness, to be sure. But the pixellated NASA image image seemed a little dry, just as it was. More »

February 28, 2010   1 Comment