Adventures in Purple Party Poopers...

When my sister and I were young, we used to watch Battle of the Planets: a Japanese animated series. In one episode, I remember one of the characters calling Zoltar, the villain, a "Purple Party Pooper". Being 6 years old, I thought it was absolutely hilarious. Maybe it was because I heard someone say "poop" on TV. Still, to this day, I remember that line. (To think that that brain space could have been used to remember things like birthdays or multiplication tables.)

Even though it's painted in blue, white and red, today's "Purple Party Pooper of the Week" award goes to Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay. The mayor has chastised Montreal firefighters for painting their fire stations blue, white and red in support of the Canadiens as they head into the playoffs. The mayor seems to have confused team spirit, morale boosting, patriotic enthusiasm and artistic expression with vandalism and defacing public property. Now, I'm sure that according to the letter of the law, he's right. According to the same letter of the same law, he could also probably start hauling little kids in to the precinct for drawing hop-scotch boards on the sidewalks with chalk. The firemen used temporary water-based paint to show support for their home-town team playing Canada's favourite sport. Get a grip, Mr.Mayor!!

I'm not even a hockey fan, but I do recognize a giant Party Pooper when I see one!

Adventures in Fine Dining...

While taking some time to poke around the internet this afternoon, I came across an article detailing the newest trends in tableware. What possessed me to actually click on the link, I'll never know. Against my better judgment, I did find myself skimming the article, and soon discovered the six hottest things in tableware since the invention of the fork. These trends are condensed below:

- Asian influences
- Wildlife motifs
- Neutral shades
- Designer patterns
- Victorian charm

The list itself wasn't very interesting. What got me thinking was, "What's NOT on that list?" In my opinion, those 6 categories cover every plate, saucer and gravy boat in every cupboard, cottage and cabinet. It seems to me that the article could more accurately have been titled "Put anything you want on your table. It's all good." Actually, there is one category that's not on the list. The author of the article failed to mention "Ugly Things Janice Made in Pottery Class." And so, in utter rebellion, I'm going to go make a sandwich, and put it on the ugliest pottery mishap I can find. The sandwich will still taste just as good, and my unfashionable table will never know the difference.

Adventures in Astronauts...

I was watching TV last night, 60 MInutes to be exact, and the topic of space exploration and missions to Mars and new Lunar Landings were discussed. Two things surprised me. First, no-one has set foot on the moon in my lifetime. The last manned mission to the moon was back in '72. I think I has just assumed that when the astronauts were tinkering with space stations, they'd make a little stop on the moon, while they were in the neighbourhood. I don't know where I got that idea from. However, what really surprised me, (and it shouldn't have - it seems so obvious), is that there is more computer technology in my cellphone then there was on any of the Apollo missions to the Moon. I use my phone to do everything from look up words in the Korean-English dictionary, to checking the subway map to see how long it takes to get from one station to another, to taking pictures of things that amuse me. (You'll notice I rarely use it as a phone.) It was like a little lightening bolt in my brain when I realized that I had grown up considering space exploration to be the epitome of technological marvels...and that somewhere in the past 30 years, technology far surpassed the days of Apollo missions. How did Buzz and Neil manage a whole moon-walking mission without a little MP3 player and a pocket-sized access to Google?

Adventures in Fools of April...

While I don't usually do much for April Fool's Day myself, I read this morning of possibly one of the most successful and well executed pranks of all time. I'm just glad I'm not the guy that got pranked.

You can read the article here: http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=955#more-955